New Delhi: Star India batter Virat Kohli has been called a “bully” following a heated argument with female journalist Nat Yoannidis earlier this week. The incident occurred when Kohli arrived at Melbourne Airport with his family and became upset with Yoannidis for filming his children without his consent, citing privacy concerns. Kohli, 36, had previously warned Indian journalists against photographing his children, but this rule does not apply in Australia, where journalists are free to take pictures and record celebrities.
Kohli asked the journalist to delete the images and videos of his children but permitted her to keep the ones of him alone. He was also seen shaking hands with the journalists after receiving assurance that they were no longer filming his kids.
Now, a Nine Sports journalist has criticized Kohli, calling the former India captain a “bully.” He condemned Kohli for “berating” the female reporter during the incident at Melbourne Airport.
“Nat was out there with a cameraman, a Channel 7 reporter was out there with his cameraman, and they were doing what we do on a daily basis — essentially, being at the airport to capture identities, whether they’re politicians, sporting figures, or anyone else. Virat Kohli took offense to the fact that the cameras were focused on him,” Jones was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.
“Well duh! You’re a batting superstar, you’re a global superstar in the world of cricket, and he takes offense to the fact that the attention is focused on him. What really bothered me when I saw the footage was that he turned around to the three guys — the two cameramen and the Channel 7 reporter — and said, ‘You guys are OK, it’s her,'” he added.
“Really? Big tough man, Virat. And then he stood over this girl, Nat Yoannidis, who’s about five foot one, five foot two, and just absolutely berated her. You’re nothing but a bully, Virat,” a fuming Jones said.
