IND vs NZ: Rohit Sharma fans trend 'Shame on Star Sports', Virat Kohli replaced from preview poster

The controversy emerged after the channel featured Virat Kohli's face in the match's preview poster instead of skipper Rohit Sharma's.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

Ahead of the highly anticipated ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 1st semi-final clash between India and New Zealand, a significant controversy unfolded involving Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the tournament. The controversy emerged after the channel featured Virat Kohli's face in the match's preview poster alongside Kane Williamson, rather than showcasing skipper Rohit Sharma beside the Kiwi captain.

The decision to use Kohli's image instead of the Indian captain sparked outrage among his fans on social media, especially on X (formerly known as Twitter), accusing Star Sports of bias. Soon enough, the 'Hitman' fans started trending " Shame on Star Sports".

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The contention was that, as the captain, Rohit should be depicted in the poster standing alongside his New Zealand counterpart. In response to the widespread backlash, Star Sports eventually replaced Kohli's face with Rohit's.

With a remarkable streak of nine consecutive victories, India is set to take on New Zealand at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium in the first semi-final match on November 15.

Led by Rohit Sharma, the Indian team will once again encounter the Kiwis in a semi-final, reminiscent of their clash in the previous edition of the ODI World Cup, where New Zealand secured an 18-run victory over India.

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Prasidh Krishna, Suryakumar Yadav.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.

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