Allegations of verbal abuse directed at credentialed members of the press during the arrival of India’s squad prior to the second ODI against England have sparked a big controversy in Cardiff involving Virat Kohli’s personal security representative.
Subhayan Chakraborty and Abhishek Tripathi, two journalists with legitimate press credentials, claimed to be documenting the team’s movements while stationed inside the official media area.
The incident has sparked a wider discussion regarding whether Indian players on central contracts are allowed to use private bodyguards and the BCCI’s foreign tour security procedures.
After Kohli got into the team bus, the alleged altercation took place. The reporters’ account claims that the bodyguard approached one of them and got into a furious argument with him, using foul language the entire time.
The security guard persisted in the verbal abuse even after the journalist showed their accreditation card, which attested to their credentials as a registered press. Numerous reports suggested that this was not an isolated incident and that the same person had previously had conflicts with the media.
“I don’t give a shot about accreditation. Just f*ck off from here,” the bodyguard said as quoted by multiple journalists on social media.
The journalist repeatedly reminded the guard of their formal media position and documents, yet the guard continued to make derogatory comments.
Since the BCCI’s rulebook is thought to prohibit centrally contracted players from using private protection during bilateral abroad assignments—official security is handled by the BCCI and host nation authorities—the dispute has become more serious.
This is the first time an Indian player has had a personal bodyguard accompany them throughout a bilateral series. The BCCI has been urged by several members of the media corps to launch an official investigation and impose sanctions.
Kohli has not made any public remarks, and the BCCI has said nothing. The Indian team administrators and the BCCI will probably investigate the matter internally if the accusations turn out to be accurate and a centrally contracted player violated the rules of the contract by bringing an unauthorized personal guard.
Under the provisions of central contracts, any violation of these standards may result in formal disciplinary action, which may include financial penalties, official warnings, or extra consequences based on the findings.
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