Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke has come in support of Indian star batter Virat Kohli for his on-field altercation with Australia youngster Sam Konstas in the Boxing Day Test. Konstas was making his debut at the MCG and blew away the Indian bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah with his attacking shots in the first innings. Virat Kohli collided shoulder to shoulder as he walked past 19-year-old Konstas, whose risky stroke play was causing enormous frustration for the fielding side.
Virat Kohli was fined 20 per cent of his match fee by the ICC for the on-field altercation. The Indian superstar faced flak from the former Australian cricketers and local media for his behavior with the debutant. However, Clarke has defended Virat Kohli and called him a great guy as he is assured that he would have surely sorted things out with Konstas after the match.
Virat Kohli Escapes Ban But Fined Over Sam Konstas Heated Clash In Boxing Day Test
Virat Kohli has been fined 20% of his match fee and awarded one demerit point for for shoulder bumping Sam Konstas at the MCG on Thursday morning. The incident occurred after the end of the 10th over of Day One when Kohli was seen shoulder-nudging the debutant Australian opener in front of a 90,000-strong MCG crowd. It led to an exchange between the players with the other opener, Usman Khawaja, trying to cool things down. Kohli’s act drew instant outrage with Ricky Ponting calling for sanctions against the Indian batter.
The on-field umpires also had a word with the two. “Virat Kohli has been slapped with a Level 1 offence. He has been fined 20 per cent of the match fees,” a source told NDTV. After incident, many former players predicted that Kohli may face suspension but that has not happened as he has been charged with a Level 1 offence. Level 2 offences carry a penalty of three to four demerit points. Four demerit points would lead to a suspension of one Test.
The ICC’s Code of Conduct states that “any form of inappropriate physical contact is prohibited in cricket. Without limitation, players will breach this regulation if they deliberately, recklessly and/or negligently walk or run into or shoulder another player or umpire”.
The young debutant came out roaring at the MCG, he was not ready to be treated like a rookie and to make a statement he took on the biggest guys in the yard. First his audacious play against the most successful bowler of the series Jasprit Bumrah. He was not letting Bumrah’s lethality get to him but instead did not let the premium speedster settle with his aggressive gameplay which saw some fearless scoops and step-out shots.
Virat Kohli was fined 20 per cent of his match fee by the ICC for the on-field altercation. The Indian superstar faced flak from the former Australian cricketers and local media for his behavior with the debutant. However, Clarke has defended Virat Kohli and called him a great guy as he is assured that he would have surely sorted things out with Konstas after the match.
Michael Clarke supports Virat Kohli amidst the controversies in BGT 2024-25
Another former Australian captain Michael Clarke defended Virat Kohli over his shoulder-barge incident with Sam Konstas. Unfortunately for Kohli, the Melbourne outing went south after the ugly incident as he scored only 41 runs across the two innings in India’s 184-run defeat.
Talking about Kohli on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, as quoted by News18, Clarke said:
“I know Virat as well, he would have spoken to Sam after the game. Virat’s a great guy. So those two would have sorted it out. I don’t know (if) Virat would have said sorry, whatever it was. Virat is not a nasty person. So that would be fixed 100%. I think Virat was getting frustrated with the lack of respect that Sam was showing the best bowler in the world in Bumrah. I think that’s what frustrated Virat.”
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has struggled to make an impact with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since the century at Perth. He has been making the same mistakes as his off-side off-stump struggle has pulled him down in the Fab four race. The batting maestro could muster only 417 runs in 2024, averaging a mere 24.52. His persistent vulnerability outside the off-stump – frequently edging deliveries to the slip cordon or wicketkeeper – proved to be his undoing, especially during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Virat Kohli will look to return to his best as India look to level the series and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the final Test at Sydney, starting January 3.