Kohli Faces Reprimand for Shoulder Incident with Konstas in 4th Test
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Melbourne, Dec 26 (NationPress) Virat Kohli has been fined 20 percent of his match fee and has received one demerit point from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for initiating a shoulder bump with debutant Sam Konstas on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test.
The ICC released a statement following the conclusion of play on Thursday, determining that Kohli had breached Level 1 of its Code of Conduct.
This incident took place at the end of the 10th over on the first day of the Melbourne Test when Kohli made contact with the Australia debutant's shoulder, resulting in a heated exchange between the two players. Australian opener Usman Khawaja was observed attempting to intervene between the two.
According to Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct, it addresses: “inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee, or any other individual (including a spectator during an International Match).”
No formal hearing was required as Kohli accepted the sanctions proposed by Match Referee Andy Pycroft. The on-field umpires, Joel Wilson and Michael Gough, along with third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and fourth umpire Shawn Craig, leveled the charge.
The altercation occurred during a thrilling session of play. Konstas, making his debut, was in the process of an impressive innings, demonstrating fearless batting against India's strong attack. The shoulder bump incident briefly overshadowed his performance but did not affect his concentration. Konstas ultimately scored a brisk 60 off 65 balls.
The Australian batters had a remarkable day, concluding the first day with a score of 311/6 in 86 overs.
For India, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah achieved figures of 3-75 in his 21 overs, while Akash Deep, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar each claimed one wicket.
The five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series is currently tied at 1-1 after the third Test in Brisbane ended in a draw. India won the series opener by 295 runs in Perth before suffering a significant 10-wicket defeat in the pink-ball Test at Adelaide Oval.
