Kohli has been fined 20% of his match fee and awarded 1 demerit point for the Konstas incident
Virat Kohli has been fined 20 percent of his match fee and awarded one demerit point for shoulder-bumping Sam Konstas during the first day of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG on Thursday.
The decision was made following a hearing conducted by match referee Andy Pycroft after the day’s play.
Kohli admitted to the inappropriate conduct.
The ICC confirmed that Kohli violated Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which covers “inappropriate physical contact with a player, player support personnel, umpire, match referee, or any other person (including a spectator during an international match).”
The charge was brought against Kohli by on-field umpires Joel Wilson and Michael Gough, third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, and fourth umpire Shawn Craig.
Cricket’s non-contact nature makes any form of inappropriate physical contact a breach of the rules.
Article 2.12 of the Code of Conduct states that players are prohibited from deliberately, recklessly, or negligently making physical contact with another player or umpire, whether by walking into or shoulder-bumping them.
The incident occurred after the 10th over on Day 1 of the Test, when Kohli was seen shoulder-bumping debutant Australian opener Konstas.
The action led to a confrontation between the players, with Usman Khawaja stepping in to diffuse the situation.
The incident sparked immediate reactions, with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting calling for sanctions against Kohli.
Ponting stated, “Virat walked one whole pitch over to his right and instigated that confrontation.
No doubt in my mind whatsoever.”
He further noted that fielders should avoid getting too close to the batsman during this phase.
While Kohli’s actions caused an uproar, Konstas downplayed the incident, saying, “It happens.”
However, former India coach Ravi Shastri expressed disapproval, calling Kohli’s actions unnecessary and stating, “There is a line and you don’t want to overstep that line.”
This penalty aligns with recent decisions involving similar incidents.
For example, Bangladesh’s Tanizim Hasan Shakib was fined 15 percent of his match fee in June for a verbal altercation that included body contact.
Pycroft, one of the most experienced match referees, has overseen many such disciplinary hearings.
According to the ICC’s Code of Conduct regulations, players who accumulate four or more demerit points within a 24-month period face a ban.
However, this was Kohli’s first offence in the past 24 months, and the demerit point will remain on his record for the next two years.
Leave a Reply