How quickly we turn against our heroes. We devote our time and energy to elevating them to a pedestal, only to bring them crashing down at the first sign of what we believe to be indifference.

It would be an understatement to state that Virat Kohli has the most devoted and passionate fan base in the cricket community. As a former captain of India, he is a sure crowd-pleaser, and millions of people identify with his cricketing identity. With amazing consistency, he has delivered epic after epic, carrying the hopes, prayers, and best wishes of large segments of the population and rarely failing.

The icing on the cake would have been a first IPL championship for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in his 18th attempt. The IPL emblem of dominance was the only obvious omission from his brimming collection of silver, aside from the World Test Championship trophy, which he will now never possess. In Ahmedabad, four nights prior, that anomaly was fixed. As one would expect, Kohli himself was the engine room that propelled the RCB attack, ending the competition as the third highest run-scorer while scoring those runs with flair, panache, and a healthy strike-rate that had not always been his strongest supporter.

The fact that RCB beat Punjab Kings by six runs on Tuesday night thrilled RCB supporters all over the world. In Bengaluru, impromptu street parties began and lasted until the early hours of Wednesday. Undoubtedly, Kohli was the toast of the town because, on his own, he had made sure that the fan base expanded for 17 years in direct relation to RCB's performance on the field. When the tape was finally breasted, he and the RCB's ardent fans felt a sense of retribution.

At this point, Kohli is subject to a great deal of harsh criticism and foul insults on social media, especially. The relative anonymity of social media allows keyboard warriors to express venom without fear of retaliation or accusation, making the forum more and more harsh and nasty. Following the terrible tragedy that occurred outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday evening, which quickly changed from joyous to somber, Kohli has been criticized in some circles for not being sufficiently aware of the events outside the stadium and for carrying on the celebrations on the outfield of RCB's home ground.

There is no formula for how individuals will respond to disasters, and no one has the right to demand that others act in accordance with our wishes. Since one was right in the thick of the pushing and shoving outside the venue as early as 3 p.m., one may say with some assurance that nobody who didn't experience that – and we are really grateful that so many didn't – can truly grasp the increasing terror, the pounding heart, the adrenaline rush, and the state of self-preservation that the subconscious enters.

Although he may have had a role in the awkward speed with which the celebratory activities in Bengaluru were organized on Wednesday evening—just over 15 hours after the championship was won in Ahmedabad—Kohli was not at all to blame. Because the talisman's departure for London was imminent, those who saw a chance to make money from being at the forefront of organizing the show paid little attention to protocol and police advice, opting to prioritize their own interests over safety and security procedures that would have undoubtedly been in place had the police mechanism had more time to plan and coordinate an event that was sure to draw tens of thousands of RCB fans who were overjoyed that their long wait had finally come to an end.

Canceling would have sparked further unrest.

Even after the stampede outside brutally claimed 11 lives (as later disclosures confirmed), Kohli's leadership in the celebrations inside the stadium was criticized. However, anyone who attended the event would have noticed right away that he was only going through the motions and that he lacked the exuberance and obvious displays of joy or crowd manipulation that are unique to Kohli. The idea that the stadium show should have been canceled altogether failed to account for the fact that the majority of the 35,000 spectators were unaware of the tragedy that had occurred outside. Cancelling the performance would probably have sparked even more turmoil and perhaps unrestrained rage. Word of the unspeakable tragedy had not yet become widespread knowledge among the crowd in the stands since telephone networks were deliberately or unintentionally blocked.

In a tough situation, Kohli performed what was required of him without overdoing it. It's not very commendable to attack him for supposed apathy. Although there were several obvious errors that contributed to the preventable tragedy, blaming Kohli is simply not acceptable.

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