India’s star batter, Virat Kohli, has been reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for a shoulder barge with Sam Konstas on Day 1 (Thursday, December 26) of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Kohli has reportedly been fined 20% of his match fees for his actions during the first session of play.
The incident occurred after the 10th over of Australia’s first innings when Kohli collided with Konstas while changing ends. The altercation sparked a verbal exchange from the debutant, with Kohli responding in kind. Veteran batter Usman Khawaja intervened to diffuse the tension, with on-field umpire Michael Gough also stepping in to calm the situation.
Kohli’s actions were criticized by fans and pundits throughout the day. The misconduct, according to ICC guidelines, warranted a reprimand, though the extent of the punishment remained the only uncertainty.
“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,” Article 2.12 of ICC’s Code of Conduct (CoC) reads.
Had Virat Kohli received four demerit points for the incident, he could have been at risk of missing the upcoming fifth Test against Australia in Sydney. Three demerit points, on the other hand, would have led to a one-match suspension in a limited-overs game.
However, as per a Cricbuzz report after Stumps on Day 1, Kohli was fined 20% of his match fees and given one demerit point after admitting his offense to match referee Andy Pycroft.
In a similar incident in 2019, Kohli received a demerit point and was fined 25% of his match fees after a collision with South Africa’s Beuran Hendricks during a T20I match.
Virat Kohli will aim to make a comeback with the bat on Day 2 at the MCG
After his impressive century in Perth, the star batter has faced a dip in form and will be using the recent reprimand as motivation to fight his way back into the runs during the series. India had a challenging opening day in Melbourne, with Australia finishing at 311-6 after 86 overs, bringing the action to a close on Boxing Day.
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