For many, fandom ruins their perception of players. As soon as their favourite player scores or takes a wicket, they become the ‘greatest player of all time.’ They’ll go even as far as abusing the player’s teammate. The success of their ‘favourite’ is the only one that matters. This is exactly what happened after Virat Kohli was dismissed in his 300th ODI, courtesy of a superhuman catch by Glenn Phillips.
The ongoing India vs. New Zealand match saw Phillips take the catch of the ICC Champions Trophy as he flew to his right to grab a one-handed stunner while being stationed at point. Social media was set ablaze by his effort from the Kiwi. The catch went viral; people were raving about it. Well, not all people.
The toxic side of Virat Kohli fandom exposed
Some of Kohli’s fans weren’t happy. What Glenn Phillips had done was unacceptable. So they took to social media. These so-called fans went to Instagram and started abusing him. “Kohli ko kyu out kiya (Why did you dismiss Kohli?)” one angry fan wrote. Another said, “Kohli tera baap hai (Kohli is your father).”
Absolutely despicable behaviour. However, what they failed to understand was they weren’t abusing Glenn Phillips’ on his Instagram account but rather ‘Philips,’ the electronics brand. Filled with so much hate and venom that they failed to realise what they were actually doing. The result is for everyone to see.
This isn’t the first time Kohli fans have abused a player from New Zealand. Back in 2021, when Kyle Jamieson had dismissed the batter in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final. Kohli fans abused Jamieson’s sister and mother on their social media accounts. They went as far as sending rape threats to them.
One must add, that Virat Kohli has nothing to do with this. He, like other celebrities, can’t control what fans write or say. He himself has fallen victim to this. People online have abused him and his family. The only plea one can make is, to think before you write. Imagine how you would feel if someone directed such things towards you.
