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Is Virat Kohli the angry young man of Indian cricket?
Furious after being booed by the crowd in Mumbai, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli said IPL fans tend to forget that he competes for India as well, and their jeering can end up creating "hatred among the players".
- Virat Kohli lashes out at 'weird' Wankhede crowd
But, it is not the first time that the youngster is at the receiving end.
Kohli was booed by fans at the Wankhede
Kohli was booed by fans at the Wankhede stadium after a controversial run-out incident during RCB's match against Mumbai Indians on Saturday night.
He was jeered after he appealed for a run-out involving Mumbai Indians batsman Ambati Rayudu, who was dismissed in a bizarre manner.
They called Kohli a 'cheat'
Rayudu seemed to have grounded his bat before it went in the air when he collided with bowler Vinay Kumar. It was at this moment that a direct hit from Kohli hit the stumps.
The visitors asked for the third umpire's decision, which went in their favour. This agitated the crowd and they booed Kohli, calling him a "cheat".
The 24-year-old continued to face the crowd's ire when he came on to bat and even during the post-match presentation.
'When I come back and play for India they are going to cheer for me'
"As far as the crowd is concerned, it has happened to a few players in the past as well. I don't know why they get so worked up during IPL.
"IPL is not the end of the world. And they forget that the players they are booing also play for their country," a livid Kohli said.
"It is only creating hatred among the players. When I come back and play for India, they are going to cheer for me. It doesn't work that way.
"You come to Bangalore and you see how Indian players are appreciated," he added.
'I don't know what is wrong with people at this venue'
Kohli said he could not understand the crowd behaviour at the Wankhede.
"...I don't know what is wrong with people at this venue. It feels a bit weird, because, at the end of the day, you play for India and you don't come here to be hated. Whoever wins or loses, in any of the games, you come to Bangalore, every captain is cheered, every Indian player is cheered.
"People appreciate good cricket. I don't know why people have so much aggression and so much hatred towards other teams in this particular venue.
"As I said, IPL is not the end of the world," Kohli said.
Gambhir-Kohli involved in ugly on-field spat
Kohli is known for his hot-blooded approach. We got a taste of this earlier in the IPL.
It was a war of words between two Delhi teammates. After Laxmipathy Balaji had Virat Kohli (35) caught by Eoin Morgan at sweeper cover, the batsman, instead of heading back to the pavilion, went towards the KKR captain.
Gautam Gambhir appeared to have uttered an expletive, at which his Bangalore counterpart was infuriated. Both players charged towards each other, and it took the effort of another Delhi player, Rajat Bhatia, to ensure a possible collison was avoided and the war of words didn't escalate.
Indeed, there was no love lost between the rival captains in the ugly on-field spat after the latter was dismissed in the 10th over of the innings.
The incident took everyone by surprise, as Gambhir and Kohli have not only played together for the country but also their state side Delhi, North Zone and ONGC.
Kohli gestured his middle finger
Not just in India, but Kohli is also notorious overseas for his temper.
He gestured with his middle finger during the second Test against Australia which put him in a mess.
Kohli was fined half his match fee in the second Test in Sydney. The young batsman responded to provocation and taunts from the crowd.
Although Kohli later admitted his mistake on a micro blogging site, and regretted the same, he couldn't evade punishment.
Match referee Ranjan Madugalle fined him 50 per cent of his match fee for dissent.