'How would we Indians feel if an overseas captain did this?': Gavaskar condemns Kohli's 'avoidable' stump mic outburst

Sunil Gavaskar has reacted to Virat Kohli’s outburst on the stump mic during the Cape Town Test, saying it was an avoidable situation and something that the India captain could have prevented.

Sunil Gavaskar has reacted to Virat Kohli's outburst on the stump mic during the Cape Town Test, saying it was an avoidable situation and something that the India captain could have prevented. On Day 3 of the Test match, when an LBW decision against Dean Elgar was reversed due to DRS, Kohli vented his frustration on the stump mic, going up to it and saying: "Focus on your team while they shine the ball. Not just the opposition. Trying to catch people all the time."

Sunil Gavaskar feels Virat Kohli's outburst was avoidable.  (Getty/Screengrab)

The outburst caused an uproar with several former cricketers expressing their displeasure at Kohli’s behaviour. The incident got talked about more because following this, the Indian team lost its footing as after the distraction, India leaked 40 runs in 8 overs, as compared to 60 in the first 20. Gavaskar feels that it’s one thing to mutter something that is recorded, but to go up to the mic and then saying stuff does not look good.

"When you are playing for your country… when you are trying your best to win, every single moment that you are out there, you can lose your composure and cool. If you say something while you are walking, it’s a different matter, but when you go towards a stump mic – you know it is going to pick up stuff – then it doesn’t look good so that was something that was avoidable,” Gavaskar said on Sports Today.

The jibes were directed at SuperSports, the official broadcaster of the India vs South Africa series, with R Ashwin, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal expressing their frustration as well. Soon after, SuperSport issued a statement on the reaction of Indian players, who were lucky to not get sanctions or fines imposed on them. Gavaskar explained that had something like this happened in India, the players wouldn’t have accepted and hence should have refrained from conducting themselves in the manner that they did.

“Tempers are lost on a sporting arena. You see any sports – whether it is football, cricket or any other sport – tempers are lost. I don’t think they were trying to insinuate something But if you look at it, how would we Indians feel if an overseas team captain did this went to the stump mic and say something to the television channel covering the series. We wouldn’t accept it,” added Gavaskar.