Virat Kohli has been fined 20% of his match fees and awarded one demerit point after his heated altercation with Australia’s 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas during the fourth Test at the MCG. The incident occurred after the tenth over of the morning when Kohli and Konstas bumped shoulders while moving across the pitch between overs.

Both players immediately looked back for a heated exchange of words, before Konstas’ opening partner Usman Khawaja and umpire Michael Gough interrupted to cut the altercation short.

Kohli was sanctioned for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct that 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 required as Kohli accepted the sanctions.

Replays that emerged later in the session showed that Konstas had turned around from the crease after the last ball of the tenth over, and was walking straight towards the other end while looking at his gloves, whereas Kohli – while tossing the ball in his hand – was looking straight ahead and went from way outside the pitch right towards Konstas and bumped into him.

“I think the emotions got to both of us,” Konstas later told Channel 7 in the second session. “I didn’t quite realise; I was doing my gloves, then [there was] a little shoulder charge. But it happens in cricket.”

“Have a look at where Virat walks,” former Australia captain Ricky Ponting observed on commentary for Channel 7 while watching the replay of the incident. “Virat’s walked one whole pitch over to his right and instigated that confrontation. No doubt in my mind, whatsoever.”

While talking to Star Sports at the end of the day, former India coach Ravi Shastri said what Kohli did was “unnecessary”.

“When you see that, it’s not needed at that moment of time,” he said. “I think Virat will realise that later, with the stature he has in the game, he’s captained the side for many, many years. In heat of the moment, things do happen. But on reflection, I would say it was unnecessary. You don’t want to see such things. There’s a line, you don’t want to overstep that line.”

Konstas made his Test debut with a stunning half-century off just 52 balls, by taking on Jasprit Bumrah, the best bowler of the series, who had dismissed Nathan McSweeney four times in six innings in the first three Tests. Konstas replaced McSweeney for this Test, and struggled to 5 off 21 after being beaten several times before moving to 27 off 38 at the time of the altercation with Kohli.

By then, Konstas had reverse-scooped Bumrah for a six over the slips which had followed a more straightforward scoop that had fetched him four runs after moving across and flicking the ball over the wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

Konstas finished on 60 off 65 balls with six fours and two sixes, having scored 34 from 33 against Bumrah and 20 from 19 off Mohammed Siraj.

Tests between India and Australia have been high-intensity, and known to throw up such altercations and controversies, especially involving Kohli. He had once collided – when he was captain – for an altercation with the opposite captain Tim Paine in 2018-19, and had a duel with Mitchell Johnson while scoring a stunning century in Adelaide in 2014.

(espncricinfo.com)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by espncricinfo.com has not been edited by SLM staff)