How Australian pundits savaged Virat Kohli

It was an ugly episode that was saved the grace of a teenager. In the 10th over Sam Konstas, the Greek-origin Australian opener in midst of a sensational Test debut, had a heated moment with his favourite batsman in the world, Virat Kohli.
The over had just ended, Konstas, who had run a single off the last ball, turned for the end-over mid-pitch chat with his opening partner Usman Khawaja. He just moved beside the pitch and began walking even as he was looking at a dance, well to Kohli’s right, seemingly towards the digital scoreboard on the giant screen. He then tucked his bat under his elbow, just began to adjust his gloves when he was shoulder-barged.
From the other end, Kohli had started his walk after picking up the ball from a short-leg position. He cut well to his right, had the sunglasses on, and tossed the ball up to grab it with his right hand. He then transferred the ball to his left hand and kept walking towards Konstas. The two were set to collide unless one of them pulled out. Konstas was fiddling with his gloves when the shoulder-barge happened. Kohli kept walking initially before he turned to face Konstas. Both exchanged words and Kohli would point to the cricket ball when Khawaja entered the crime scene with a smile.
Khawaja first put his arm on Konstas’s shoulder and then went across to put his arms around Kohli’s shoulder. The umpire got in there as well. Later, Khawaja would tell ABC Radio about what transpired. “I’ve known Virat for a long time. He came to the academy when I was in the under-19s, so I’ve known him for a long time,” he said. “We’ve been mates for a long time, so I was like (to Konstas), ‘You chill. Chill. Go bat. I’ll talk to him and sort this out.’”
India’s Virat Kohli, right, talks to Australia’s Sam Konstas, second left, as Australia’s Usman Khawaja, looks on during play on the first day of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia. (AP)
The ICC’s Code of Conduct states: “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”.
Graceful Konstas
The youngster Konstas had at least two opportunities with the media to say his piece about the incident and both times, he chose grace. On the first time, he was asked on Channel 7 , ‘Virat Kohli is your favourite player in the world and all of a sudden you are in the thick of battle out there, he throws a little shoulder. What was being said out there?’
Konstas replied: “I think the emotions got to both of us. I didn’t quite realise, I was doing my gloves. And then a little shoulder charge. But it happens, it’s cricket.”
Later at the media interaction, he again downplayed the incident. “I was doing my gloves and I think he accidentally bumped into me. That’s cricket. Happens.”
The former Australian players weren’t so kindhearted on Kohli. Former captain Ricky Ponting laid the blame squarely on the Indian. “Virat walked one whole pitch over to his right and instigated that confrontation,” he said on 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, and wouldn’t even know anyone was in front of him. That man on-screen there (Kohli) might have a few questions to answer.”
Another former player and commentator Kerry o’Keefe echoed similar sentiments. “Kohli has built his whole career on arrogance. Suddenly he identified that in a debutant, and he seemed to resent it. I think he’s in trouble,” Keefe said on the Fox Cricket broadcast.
Michael Vaughan too chipped in on similar lines on Fox. “He’s completely acted wrong. I don’t know why a senior pro who’s played for so long – he’s a King – has been rattled a 19-year-old. Konstas did absolutely nothing wrong there. Virat veered towards him.“You can’t do that, you’re just not allowed to do that.”
Former ICC umpire Simon Taufel said that it can ‘get out of control’. “We don’t want to see any physical contact during the game. It tends to get out-of-control,” Taufel said on Seven. “A lot of adrenaline flowing. Sam Konstas holding his ground. Virat did the same thing. It’s something out of nothing. We don’t want to see it continue … I tend to think they’ll let that one go. That’s my view at this stage. Let the players say what they want to say. Get a few things off their chest. At times if it goes further, they’ll probably let that one slide.”
Kohli was last sanctioned the ICC in 2019 for another shoulder-barging incident with South Africa’s Beuran Hendricks. Back then Kohli had admitted he was guilty. This time, he was docked 20 percent of his match fee.

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