Virat Kohli has condemned an “appalling” breach of privacy which has left him “very paranoid” after a stranger appeared to film themselves in the India batter’s hotel room.
Kohli was not present when the incident occurred but shared on Instagram a video first posted elsewhere of what seems someone filming the former India captain’s room and possessions at a Perth hotel.
Crown Resorts is conducting an investigation and has stood down “the individuals involved” after the 33-year-old denounced the video titled “King Kohli’s Hotel Room”.
Alongside the video, he wrote: “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.”
Kohli is currently on duty with India at the T20 World Cup and is undeniably one of the biggest sportspeople in the world with 221 million Instagram followers.
He was instrumental in India’s remarkable win over Pakistan at the MCG, anchoring a successful pursuit of 160 with an unbeaten 82, which was labelled one of the best T20 knocks of all time.
Kohli featured at Perth in his side’s defeat to South Africa on Sunday, although it is understood the episode actually took place when India were in the city ahead of the World Cup earlier this month.
An International Cricket Council spokesperson said: “The ICC is incredibly disappointed by the gross invasion of privacy suffered by a member of the Indian travelling party at 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.”
