Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee and received one demerit point from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for causing a shoulder bump with debutant Sam Konstas on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne on December 26. The ICC issued a statement after the end of the day’s play on Thursday and found Kohli breaching Level 1 of its Code of Conduct.
The incident occurred at the end of the 10th over on the first day of the Melbourne Test when Kohli bumped the Australia debutant’s shoulder, which led to a heated exchange between the two players. The other Australian opener Usman Khawaja was seen trying to mediate between the two players.
Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct relates to: “inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator during an International Match.”
No formal hearing was needed as Kohli accepted the sanctions propsed by Match Referee Andy Pycroft. On-field umpires Joel Wilson and Michael Gough, third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and fourth umpire Shawn Craig levelled the charge.
The altercation occurred during a gripping session of play. Konstas, making his debut, was in the midst of an impressive innings, showcasing fearless batting against India’s formidable attack. The shoulder bump incident momentarily overshadowed his performance but did little to deter his focus. Konstas went on to score a brisk 60 off 65 balls.
Australian batters enjoyed a great outing in the middle and ended the opening day for 311/6 in 86 overs.
For India, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah returned with the figures of 3-75 in his 21 overs while Akash Deep, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar bagged one scalp apiece.
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-run in Perth before facing a crushing 10-wicket defeat in the pink-ball Test at Adelaide Oval.
