Harsha Bhogle says viral video of him speaking on Virat Kohli is 'selectively edited reporting'

Harsha Bhogle has slammed news agency PTI for allegedly sharing a misleading video of him speaking on Virat Kohli at an event. In the shared by PTI on X, Bhogle could be heard talking about how on occasions Kohli getting out early can be beneficial for his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as the new batter can score at a faster rate.

“Virat Kohli is a great example. Virat Kohli is playing Test cricket for India and he isn’t supposed to get out. Now, he goes to play for RCB, for India; beyond a certain point, it might actually been the interest of the side for him to get out. How do you reconcile to the fact that I am one of the greatest who have played the game but actually at this stage, it’s in the team’s interest that I get out because the person who is coming in will probably hit 20 of 6 balls. Viral Kohli is an extreme example,” Harsha Bhogle could be heard saying in a video which was reportedly recorded at the SHRM India Talent Leadership Summit & Expo 2024 in Mumbai.

Reacting to the video, Bhogle explained on X that the video has omitted the part where he spoke about Kohli’s capabilities of playing and being successful across formats. He termed the video as “selectively edited reporting”.

“This is an example of what I was talking about with social media. The video is cropped just before the point where I say that Virat is capable of playing across situations but that I was only highlighting how even the greatest players have to keep adjusting demands and priorities. Come on @PTI_News I am sure you can do better. With selectively edited reporting, nobody will be able to articulate thoughts again. Can you put out the whole clip please?” Bhogle said on X (formerly Twitter).

In a separate post, Bhogle also said that he was “disappointed” with what has transpired on X.

“If even @PTI_News succumbs to irresponsible click bait media, what chance does our profession have? Extremely disappointed. I hope the head of @PTI_News news is too. Come on, let us maintain the fairness of our profession.”

Later, PTI uploaded a longer video (8:36 mins) from the event on it’s X account.

Bhogle himself also uploaded a new video on his account which added more context his statement.

In the latest video, he could be heard saying, “Viral Kohli is an extreme example. It may not be actually appropriate because he has the skills to play across situations” in addition to what was shared by PTI in their original post.