Former India captain Virat Kohli has been slapped with a fine and a demerit point for the Sam Konstas incident on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Kohli, who seemed to have deliberately shouldered Konstas away in between the 10th and the 11th overs of the Australian innings, has copped a 20 per cent fine of his match fee as it was a Level 1 offence for breaching Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct.
Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct relates to: “inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator during an International Match.” “No formal hearing was needed as Kohli accepted the sanctions proposed by Match Referee Andy Pycroft,” an ICC statement read.
Ricky Ponting, Michael Vaughan and Ravi Shastri among others on air condemned the incident saying that Kohli was at fault and shouldn’t have done it as the act reflected that India were under the pump following Konstas’ attacking knock on his Test debut.
“Virat walked one whole pitch over to his right and instigated that confrontation,” Ponting said on Channel Seven. “No doubt in my mind whatsoever.
“I have no doubt that the umpires and the referee will have a good look at that. Fielders should be nowhere near the batsman at that stage. Every fieldsman on the ground knows where the batsmen will congregate and get together.
“It looked to me that Konstas looked up really late, wouldn’t even know anyone is in front of him. That man on-screen there (Kohli) might have a few questions to answer,” Ponting added.
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Konstas, however, brushed it aside calling it as ‘part of the game’. “I was just doing my gloves and I think he accidentally bumped me,” Konstas told the reporters after the day’s play. “I think that is just cricket, just the tension and I think for me just having that freedom and backing myself and trying to bring the best version and I was lucky enough to get a few runs today.”
“There is a line and you don’t want to overstep that line,” said Shastri on Fox Cricket.
Konstas’ jumpy knock laid the foundation for what ended up being Australia’s day at the office. Australia ended up scoring 311 runs before the close of play at the loss of six wickets with the likes of Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith smashing half-centuries. Smith is still unbeaten on 68 and would be keen to convert it into a big one yet again.
