He accepted the offence after a hearing from the match referee Andy Pycroft.
Virat Kohli is fined 20% of the match fee and given one demerit point following his actions on the first day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. He accepted the offence after a hearing from the match referee Andy Pycroft.
Kohli shoved shoulders with Sam Konstas in the first session of the first day, following which an altercation broke out between the two, and the umpire had to intervene. It was a deliberate act by Kohli, so the reprimand was always on the cards.
Initially, there were a few chances of Kohli missing the next game due to his inappropriate actions, for his act could have earned him as many as four demerit points had it come as a Level 2 offence. Four demerit points mean missing one Test match or two limited-over contests, whatever comes first.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen, and Kohli will play in the Sydney Test, starting January 3. However, several experts, including former India coach, Ravi Shastri, called him out for getting involved in such unnecessary activities, and he must be cautious next time.
Following his audacious Test debut knock, Sam Konstas opened up on his spat with Virat Kohli, where he brushed aside a feud between the two. He accepted such things happen in cricket.
“I think the emotions got to both of us. I didn’t quite realise, I was doing my gloves, then a little shoulder charge, but it happens in cricket,” he said on 7Cricket.
Nevertheless, this incident shouldn’t overshadow Konstas’ fabulous maiden outing, where he played some of the most remarkable shots ever in Test cricket. He was oozing confidence and never looked like debuting in front of a packed MCG crowd in such a big contest against a bowler like Jasprit Bumrah.
Even after his spat with Virat Kohli, Konstas wasn’t affected and continued playing his shots throughout his stay, scoring an entertaining 60 before succumbing to Ravindra Jadeja. He has already looked clearer with his approach than most Aussie batters in this series, proving his debatable selection correct.
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