Virat Kohli escapes ban, fined 20 percent match fee for on-field altercation with Sam Konstas

Virat Kohli fined 20 percent match fee for on-field altercation with Sam Konstas (AP Photo)

Virat Kohli has been fined 20 percent of his match fee and given one demerit point for his on-field altercation with Sam Konstas on Day 1 of the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne. Kohli was caught in a brief but heated exchange with 19-year-old debutant, who gave Australia an excellent start after the hosts won the toss and opted to bat.

The incident took place after the conclusion of the 10th over bowled by Mohammed Siraj. The pacer also had a bit of verbal exchange with Konstas before Kohli shoulder bumped the youngster while exchanging sides in between overs.

Kohli and Konstas come together and make contact #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/adb09clEqd
7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 26, 2024

The moment led to criticism of the former India skipper, with Ricky Ponting insisting it was Kohli's fault. Former India player and coach Ravi Shastri, while speaking on SEN, called the act "absolutely unnecessary".

What does the ICC Code of Conduct states?

As per the ICC rulebook "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."

Andy Pycroft, who is the match referee for the ongoing Test at the MCG, found the incident to be a Level One offence, which resulted in a fine from the match fee.

Had it been a Level Two offence, Kohli would had received three or four demerit points. Four points are enough for a player to get suspended for the next match. So it is safe to say that Kohli will be part of the Sydney encounter, which starts from January 3.

Sam Konstas' excellent debut

Konstas, who replaced Nathan McSweeney in the playing XI, had an excellent start to his Test career. He first negated the Jasprit Bumrah threat by maintaining a rather unconventional approach against the seamer. The right-handed batter tried to deal Bumrah by ramping the ball over the slip cordon, but failed to make any connection in the first three instances. However, he continued to do the same and got multiple boundaries against the same bowler as the opening session progressed.

He employed this strategy only against Bumrah and after spending a substantial time in the middle, Konstas played more in front of the wicket. He stitched 89 runs for the first wicket with Usman Khawaja before getting trapped LBW against Ravindra Jadeja for 60(65).

Sam Konstas on tensed moment with Virat Kohli

The 19-year-old addressed the incident while speaking to Channel 7 on the sidelines after getting dismissed. "I think the emotions got to both of us. I didn't quite realise, I was doing my gloves and a tap on my shoulder but it happens in cricket," he said.