India batter Virat Kohli says he is “very paranoid” about his safety after sharing a video which appears to show a stranger in his hotel room.
The video, originally shared elsewhere on social media, seems to show someone recording themselves walking around Kohli’s hotel room in Perth.
The hotel said an investigation is under way and a “contractor stood down”
“I’m NOT okay with this kind of fanaticism and absolute invasion of privacy,” Kohli said on Instagram.
“If I cannot have privacy in my own hotel room, then where can I really expect any personal space at all?”
The video was captioned “King Kohli’s hotel room” with former captain Kohli one of the biggest names in cricket.
“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,” added Kohli.
“But this video here is appalling and it’s made me feel very paranoid about my privacy.”
A spokesperson from the International Cricket Council, the tournament’s organisers, said: “The ICC is incredibly disappointed by the gross invasion of privacy suffered by a member of the Indian traveling party at the Crown Perth, during their team’s pre-event preparation ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.
“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.”
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 number one 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.”
