Virat Kohli says he is ‘very paranoid’ about his safety after strangers entered his hotel room and posted a video of his clothes and belongings on social media.
The video shows someone recording themselves walking around Kohli’s hotel room in Perth, while at least one other figure can be seen in the background.
‘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,’ Kohli said after sharing the ‘appalling’ video on Instagram.
‘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 OK with this kind of fanaticism and absolute invasion of privacy. Please respect people’s privacy and not treat them as a commodity for entertainment.’
The International Cricket Council say they are ‘incredible disappointed’ by the ‘gross invasion of privacy’ seen in the video, adding in a statement: ‘We continue to work with event hotels and security providers to ensure that this remains an isolated incident and player privacy is fully respected at all times.’
The hotel, meanwhile, have confirmed an investigation is under way and say a ‘contractor has been stood down’.
A Crown Resorts spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of an incident involving a contractor and the privacy of a guest at Crown Perth. The safety and privacy of our guests is our No 1 priority, and we are incredibly disappointed this incident has occurred.
‘We unreservedly apologise to the guest involved and will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure this remains an isolated incident.
‘We have zero tolerance for this behaviour, and it falls well below the standards we set for our team members and contractors.
‘Crown took immediate steps to rectify the issue, including launching an investigation, standing down the individuals involved and removing them from the Crown account.
‘The original video was also swiftly removed from the social media platform. We are also cooperating with the Indian Cricket team and the International Cricket Council to convey our apologies and will continue to work with them as we progress our investigation.’
Australian batter David Warner said the video – which shows Kohli’s bags, closet, bathroom and clothes – was ‘ridiculous’ and ‘totally unacceptable’.
Kohli, regarded as one of the best players of his generation, is in Australia as India attempt to win their second T20 World Cup title.
The 33-year-old produced what he described as his greatest T20 innings to help India beat arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening group game.
India thrashed Netherlands in their second match but still face a battle to qualify for the knockout stages after losing to South Africa on Sunday.
Rohit Sharma’s side face Bangladesh in Adelaide next before meeting Zimbabwe in their final group fixture at the MCG.
In the other group, hosts and defending champions Australia boosted their chances of progressing to the semi-finals with an emphatic victory over Ireland on Monday.
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