Virat Kohli Stirs Twitter Storm in England With His 'Blowing Mock Kisses' Gesture

Kohli is known for wearing his emotions on his sleeves and is often seen taking his opponents head-on on the cricket field. In the past, his behavior has riled former players, who have labeled him as the "most foul-mouthed cricketer ever". The ex-Indian team captain has once again stirred the pot with his on-field behavior.

On Sunday, Virat Kohli was involved in an ugly confrontation with English cricketer Jonny Bairstow and caught mocking the wicketkeeper-batter on camera.

As tempers flared up between the two cricketers, the on-field umpires intervened to calm things down in the middle.

It's tense out there between Virat Kohli and Jonny Bairstow 😳#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/3lIZjERvDW

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 3, 2022

But when Bairstow finally departed for 106 after Kohli caught him in the slips, he celebrated his wicket by blowing a kiss in the direction of the stands, as if he were taking a dig at England fans.

Sensational Shami has done it for India, he's been rewarded for the world class bowling he's done! pic.twitter.com/faycZtlp2r

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 3, 2022

Kohli's gesture angered a section of British celebrities, with broadcaster Piers Morgan and former England cricket captain Nick Compton launching a scathing attack on the 33-year-old South Asian player.

"Kohli has a brass neck blowing mocking kisses at a bloke who's scored three more Test hundreds in the past month than he has in the past 2.5 years," Morgan wrote on Twitter.

"Kohli seems to be making the game look hard, not sure of his off stump and seems to be trying too hard that his natural intensity even looks forced. A man trying to find his place again. It can't be easy for him falling back into rank and file after leading the team," Compton posted on the micro-blogging site.

On the other hand, New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham questioned Kohli's decision to engage in a war of words with Bairstow.

"Why do opposing teams keep making Jonny Bairstow angry lol, he gets 10x better. Give him a gift basket each morning, let him know you're having his car valeted while he's batting. Anything to keep him happy," the Kiwi cricketer tweeted.

Coming back to Kohli's performance with the bat, the ex-Indian cricket team captain flopped yet again on Sunday, having lost his wicket for 20 to Ben Stokes.

His early departure, however, didn't cost his side dearly, as the Indians took a 257-run lead over England on Day 3 of the fifth and final Test of the series at Edgbaston.

With two more days remaining in the game, India are on the verge of winning their first series on English soil since 2007.

India currently lead the series 2-1.