India’s cricketing icon, Virat Kohli, has been fined 20% of his match fee after an on-field clash with Australia’s 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas during the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The incident occurred at the end of the 10th over on day one when Kohli appeared to shoulder-barge Konstas as the Australian opener walked down the pitch to confer with his partner, Usman Khawaja.
The exchange sparked tension, with both players trading words before umpire Michael Gough and Khawaja intervened to defuse the situation.
Match referee Andy Pycroft found Kohli guilty of breaching ICC guidelines on “inappropriate physical contact” and imposed the fine along with one demerit point. Kohli accepted the punishment, avoiding the need for a formal hearing, and remains eligible to play in the fifth Test in Sydney.
Replays suggested that Kohli changed direction to make contact, an action criticised by former Australian captain Ricky Ponting. “He’s walked across the pitch to instigate the confrontation,” Ponting said on commentary for Channel 7.
Konstas, who brushed off the incident as “just cricket, just the tension,” went on to score an impressive 60 off 65 balls on debut, including some audacious scoops and boundaries off India’s ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah. His innings helped Australia reach 311-6 at stumps.
This isn’t the first fiery moment in an India-Australia Test involving Kohli. The former Indian skipper has had notable clashes in previous series, including a heated exchange with Tim Paine in 2018-19 and a duel with Mitchell Johnson in 2014.
While former India coach Ravi Shastri admitted the altercation was “unnecessary,” he acknowledged that emotions can run high in such intense matches.
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