Fans call Virat Kohli's photo with fans in Brisbane PR activity and troll him

It’s not long ago that Indian captain Virat Kohli found himself in a controversy for asking a fan to prefer not to live in India if he liked cricketers from other countries. The captain, who otherwise has a high fan following and is considered one of the best contemporary role models, faced a backlash for his reply to the man who said he found the batsmen from Australia and England more convincing than the Indians. The fans were deeply polarised over Kohli’s act as were the brands that he endorses.

He is now in Australia to lead India in a two-month long tour and he is at the receiving end once again. The latest incident happened after the 30-year-old posed for clicks with fans in Brisbane where India will take on Australia in the first T20I on November 21. Earlier on Friday, Kohli posted a selfie with wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant on social media and said he was looking forward to the long series with the latter who he called a “champion.”

The Indian captain was again spotted, this time at the gym, where he was seen working out with Pant and Washington Sundar, who has been picked for the T20I series.

Is Kohli doing PR? Ask fans

If these were not enough, the fact that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted pictures of Kohli posing with the fans in Brisbane did not impress many who felt the skipper was looking fake and believed it was being done for as a public relations exercise.

The caption of the photo in which Kohli is seen posing with the fans read: “Always has time for his fans!” One disappointed fan even asked why the spotlight was always on Kohli and not on others in the squad. Another suspected that it was being done to salvage some pride after the fiasco at home when Kohli advised the unconvinced fan to leave India.

Here are the tweets and reactions:

Always has time for his fans! #TeamIndia Captain @imVkohli poses for a few pics here in Brisbane 😀🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/RjiLQZnR0T

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 17, 2018

Virat is looking like he's forced to pose? Such formal attitude by him is shocking to say the least.

— Deepak Verma (@drv05dt18) November 17, 2018

I'm guessing this is a public relations stint just to bring back likability factor following "leave India" fiasco. Anyway, more likeabl it would be if we won the test series.

— Kricket Korner (@KrisKasya) November 17, 2018

Unless they say my favourite cricketers list includes foreign cricket players 😉

— जय राठौड़ (@Politico_Jay) November 17, 2018

Yeh bcci ka handle he ya virat kohli ka
Always the spotlight on virat why not others

— ňâMâň (@pro_memer_) November 17, 2018

Kohli had courted a similar controversy in England a few months ago when a photo of the Indian squad at the Indian high commission in London showed him and his wife actor Anushka Sharma standing in front while the team’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane appeared at the end.

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