EXPOSED! Australian Media Goes Wild, Caught Spreading Lies & Misbehaving With Team India

When Indian cricketers are on tour to Australia, they are not just facing a tough team in the field. They have to face the Australian media, too, which seems to play the role of an invisible 12th man at times. However, such media presence is not so discreet when it comes to high-profile events like the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Indian team recently witnessed controversies in the media, and the debates have involved Channel 7.

Jadeja’s Press Conference Drama & False Claims Made

Channel 7, on December 21, while hosting an all-rounder from India, Ravindra Jadeja at a press conference, aired a sensational report saying Jadeja “refused” to answer their reporters’ questions in English. According to the report the reporters were left “bemused by the “strange and frosty media conference at the MCG.”

Australian Media’s 1st False Claim: “India’s Ravindra Jadeja faced reporters but the Australian media were bemused and confused when the star allrounder refused to answer questions in English,” the report read. “India’s media team pointed to reporters who were allowed to ask questions, and even acknowledged a few Australian journalists. But Jadeja only responded in his native language.”

Actual Reality: Jadeja responded to most of the questions in Hindi because the media persons from India who were present at the press conference asked their questions in Hindi. Not once did Jadeja ever refuse to answer in English; there was no question asked in that language to begin with.

Australian Media’s 2nd False Claim: “The press conference was then wrapped up when he told the journalists that he had to get the bus.”

Actual Reality: Jadeja never mentioned about any time constraint and the need to leave for the team bus.

Australian Media’s 3rd False Claim: “India’s media team said the conference was for ‘travelling Indian media only’, even though Australian media was invited.”

Actual Reality: This media meet was exclusively for travelling Indian Media’ and this was notified through their WhatsApp group in advance by the Indian camp. The Cricket Australia representative had informed this to the Aussies as well.

Australian Media Misbehaves Indian Media Manager

Adding to the tensions were a few Australian journalists who were rude and disrespectful towards the Indian media manager. In fact, some of these reporters recorded the interaction with the media manager, crossing even the lowest lines of appropriateness, showing levels of aggression that were well beyond inappropriate.

Virat Kohli’s Privacy Invasion At Melbourne Airport

Before this things started getting heated on December 19 when former India captain Virat Kohli had a clash with a Channel 7 reporter as he arrived at the Melbourne airport. The incident was widely reported and highlighted the tactics of the Australian media to stir up controversies. What followed, however, took things to a whole new level.Virat Kohli earlier in the week. Channel 7 had caught Kohli at the Melbourne airport, filming him with his children without permission. Though there is no direct rule that prevents the media from filming public figures in such settings, the invasive nature of the filming—especially considering Kohli’s young children—was widely criticized.

Channel 7 further reported that Kohli was said to have lost his cool in a meeting with a lady journalist, saying there was an altercation. A journalist traveling with the Indian team, however, said that Kohli was composed and courteous at all times during the entire episode.

The Indian team is already on a tour and the media’s portrayal of these incidents has added an extra layer of tension to what should be a straightforward sporting contest. With cricketers already facing immense pressure on the field, the added media scrutiny only complicates their experience.