"I’m NOT okay with this kind of fanaticism"
Virat Kohli has admitted that he is “very paranoid” about his privacy after sharing a video which appeared to show a stranger in his hotel room.
The Indian batsman is currently at the T20 World Cup in Australia, staying at a hotel in Perth.
He has a huge fanbase, however, he has voiced his criticism over an invasion of his privacy.
A video appeared on TikTok and was captioned “King Kohli’s hotel room”.
The video gave viewers a walkthrough of the room, showing many of Virat’s personal belongings. While one person filmed, two others were also seen.
Virat has shared the video on Instagram, slamming the “appalling” incident.
He said: “I understand that fans get very happy and excited seeing their favourite players and get excited to meet them and I’ve always appreciated that.
“But this video here is appalling and it’s made me feel very paranoid about my privacy.
“If I cannot have privacy in my own hotel room, then where can I really expect any personal space at all??
“I’m NOT okay with this kind of fanaticism and absolute invasion of privacy.
“Please respect people’s privacy and not treat them as a commodity for entertainment.”
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His wife Anushka Sharma, who remains in India with their daughter, was furious about the matter. She shared the video on her Instagram Story and wrote:
“Have experienced a few incidents where some fans have shown no compassion or grace in the past but this really is the worst thing.
“An absolute disgrace and violation of a human being and anyone who sees this and thinks if you are a celebrity then you will have to deal with this should know that you are also part of the problem.
“Exercising some self-control helps everyone. Also, if this is happening in your bedroom then where is the line?”
A spokesperson for the ICC said:
“The ICC is incredibly disappointed by the gross invasion of privacy suffered by a member of the Indian travelling party at the Crown Perth, during their team’s pre-event preparation ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.
“We continue to work with event hotels and security providers to ensure that this remains an isolated incident and player privacy is fully respected at all times.”
A Crown Resorts spokesperson said:
“We are aware of an incident involving a contractor and the privacy of a guest at Crown Perth.
“The safety and privacy of our guests is our number one priority, and we are incredibly disappointed this incident has occurred.
“We unreservedly apologise to the guest involved and will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure this remains an isolated incident.
“We have zero tolerance for this behaviour, and it falls well below the standards we set for our team members and contractors.
“Crown took immediate steps to rectify the issue, including launching an investigation, standing down the individuals involved and removing them from the Crown account.
“The original video was also swiftly removed from the social media platform.
“We are also cooperating with the Indian Cricket team and the International Cricket Council to convey our apologies and will continue to work with them as we progress our investigation.”
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