Sunil Gavaskar expresses disappointment over Virat Kohli’s push on Sam Konstas at MCG, stating, “I don’t want to see such incidents.”

During the Boxing Day Test between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on December 26, a shoulder-bumping incident between Indian cricketer Virat Kohli and Australian debutant Sam Konstas on Day 1 disturbed cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar. The physical altercation between Kohli and Konstas early in the opening session sparked debate among fans, analysts, and former cricketers.

During the opening session of Day 1 of the fourth Test, Konstas was walking toward his partner, Usman Khawaja, when Kohli, holding the ball, was repositioning on the field and accidentally collided with the 19-year-old opener. This led to a brief but heated exchange between the two players. The umpires, along with Khawaja, quickly intervened to calm the situation.

Sunil Gavaskar expressed his displeasure over the incident, calling it unnecessary. He likened the situation to walking on a busy street, where a simple move to avoid someone doesn’t diminish you. “It can be avoided. It’s like walking on a crowded street; when you see someone coming, you just step aside. It doesn’t make you any smaller to do so. And these are things we don’t want to see on the field,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying during the lunch break by HT. He also suggested that a punishment might be handed out after the day’s play.

“My initial reaction, before seeing the replays, was that both players were looking down and didn’t notice each other approaching. Konstas was focused on his bat, while Kohli had the ball in his hand and was preoccupied with something else. But after seeing the footage, we’ll find out who gets fined more by the end of the day,” he added.

Virat Kohli has avoided a ban but has received one demerit point and a 20% fine on his match fee, as per the ICC. “Virat Kohli has been fined 20% of his match fee and given one demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct,” stated the ICC.

The ICC further clarified that no formal hearing was required, as Kohli accepted the sanctions recommended by Match Referee Andy Pycroft. The charge was also leveled by on-field umpires Joel Wilson and Michael Gough, along with third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and fourth umpire Shawn Craig.

As per the ICC Code of Conduct, Article 2.12 states, “Any form of inappropriate physical contact is prohibited in cricket. This includes instances where players deliberately, recklessly, or negligently walk into or shoulder another player or umpire.”

On Day 1 of the 4th Test between India and Australia, Australia opted to bat first and finished at 311/6 in 86 overs. Marnus Labuschagne contributed 72 runs, Steven Smith was unbeaten on 68, debutant Sam Konstas scored 60, and Usman Khawaja made 57.

For India, Jasprit Bumrah was the standout bowler with three wickets, while Akash Deep, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar each took one wicket.