Virat Kohli was on the hit list of former Australian players after he shouldered debutant Sam Konstas in the first session of Day 1 of the fourth Test at Melbourne Cricket. Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Justin Langer, and Kerry O’Keefe slammed the star batter for his behavior. He was also fined 20 percent of his match fee, and one demerit point was added to his disciplinary record by the ICC. Sam was hitting the Indian bowlers for fours and sixes, and after one of the overs, Kohli intentionally barged into him while changing the end.
The two exchanged a few words before the umpire, and Usman Khawaja separated them. The 19-year-old scored 60 runs off 65 balls, laced with 6 fours and 2 sixes. Kerry O’Keefe, who described Virat’s action as arrogance, said sorry for his statement.
“I want to apologize for calling Virat Kohli’s behavior arrogance. I shouldn’t have said that. He has got a swagger and plays cricket like that. I think when he saw another player showing swagger like him, he got a bit annoyed and reacted in that fashion. Kohli is a passionate cricketer and his aggression is what makes him a competitve cricketer,” he said on Star Sports.
Justin Langer was in favor of the verbal slugfest but not physical contact. “I have said before that Virat Kohli is one of the greatest cricketers of all time, but I am not fine with physical contact. There is no place for it in our sport,” Justin Langer said.
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