Virat Kohli slams Times of India for publishing fake news about the cricketer

On Tuesday, August 14, Virat Kohli slammed the Times of India for publishing ‘fake news’ about his plans to build a cricket pitch inside his farmhouse in Alibaug, which is being constructed at the moment.

The ace cricketer shared a screenshot of the news report by TOI on his Instagram story and captioned it, “Bachpan se jo akhbaar Padha hai, wo bhi fake news chaapne lage ab (The newspapers which I have read since childhood, have also started publishing fake news).”

Kohli’s response came after the Times of India had on Tuesday, published a report with claims that the former India captain was keen on having a cricket pitch on his lavish farmhouse. The report published on August 15 was headlined, “Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli to build a cricket pitch at Alibaug farmhouse: Report.”

The media house also posted the same news on its official Twitter (now X) handle.

TOI reported, quoting the daily newspaper Mid-Day, that Virat was keen to have a cricket pitch on the property. The cricketer has, however, set the record straight about the report calling it ‘fake news’.

Reportedly, Virat and his actress-wife Anushka Sharma purchased eight acres of land in Alibaug, a coastal town situated near Mumbai, which cost them a whopping Rs 19.24 crore. Now, according to reports, after obtaining all the necessary permissions from the local bodies, the construction work has kick-started on the plot and is in full swing. The couple had recently visited their property at Alibaug to check on the details of the construction of their farmhouse. 

According to media reports, this is the second property Kohli had bought in Alibaug. Prior to this, the veteran batter of the Indian team had paid a stamp duty of Rs 36 lakh for the transaction of his 2,000 sq ft villa in Alibaug that cost him Rs 6 crore.

Notably, Virat Kohli is very active and vocal on social media. Last year, on October 31, cricket Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma shared on the social media app Instagram that a video of Kohli’s hotel room has been leaked online. Kohli shared the leaked video and expressed disappointment over the matter, as 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 was last spotted playing during the West Indies tour when he participated in two Test matches and one ODI. In Trinidad’s second Test match against West Indies, the ace player broke his streak of overseas centuries. Kohli played the first ODI in the Caribbean as well but didn’t come out to bat during the match.