A new controversy is brewing around Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli after a video surfaced showing him seemingly avoiding a handshake with South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad after the ongoing three-match ODI series opener in Ranchi on November 30.
Virat Kohli played a remarkable innings of 135 runs to help India beat South Africa by 17 runs in the final over in Ranchi. With this thrilling victory, the Men in Blue took a 1-0 lead in the ongoing ODI series, with the second ODI scheduled for Wednesday, December 3, in Raipur.
Following the Ranchi ODI, cameras caught the former Indian captain in several viral moments, and one of them was ignoring Shukri Conrad.
As the Indian team made their way up the stairs, exchanging greetings with the South African players, Kohli appeared to completely ignore coach Conrad.
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In a viral video making the rounds on social media, Kohli can be seen walking straight past Conrad without a handshake, a nod, or any acknowledgment, acting as if the South African coach wasn’t even there. But he shook hands with the next South African players in the queue.
The video is short, so it is unclear if Kohli had already greeted Conrad before the camera caught him ignoring the South African head coach.
We missed this,Virat Kohli ignored South Africa's head coach after India won ?He must have listened to the PC ? pic.twitter.com/5VnVHlmLyY
— Dive (@crickohlic) December 2, 2025Shukri Conrad's ‘Grovel’ comment stirred controversy
The incident comes after Conrad sparked outrage with his controversial comments about India after whitewashing them in the Test series.
Following South Africa’s dominant performance in the Guwahati Test, Conrad admitted that his team had deliberately batted slowly to make the Indian players “really grovel.”
The word “grovel” immediately raised eyebrows, as it has a negative and controversial history in cricket, most famously used in 1976 by England captain Tony Greig to describe humiliating the West Indies.
Meanwhile, Indian cricket is once again under the spotlight for how it treats its senior stars, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Experts and former selectors feel it’s time to stop putting the two legends “on trial” every series, especially after their brilliant performances in the first ODI against South Africa.
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This comes as the Indian team prepares for the ICC World Cup 2027 in South Africa, where batting conditions are expected to be challenging. While passing the ODI captaincy from Rohit to Shubman Gill may seem like a natural step, the way it was handled hasn’t felt smooth.
Dressing room tensions rise in ODI setup
Questions continue over whether Rohit and Kohli can maintain form and fitness for another two years. Instead of being praised for their consistent performances, both players often find themselves under scrutiny whenever an ODI series starts.
BCCI insiders suggested that part of the problem lies in “conflicting cultures” in the ODI dressing room. Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir is reportedly less assertive in ODIs compared to T20Is and Tests, the formats from which Rohit and Kohli have retired. This difference has caused tension between senior players and team management.
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