A few former players disapproved over Virat Kohli’s avoidable quarrelling with young Sam Konstas on Thursday while Australia opener Usman Khawaja said he stepped in to diffuse the tension since he did not want the situation to go out of hands. Khawaja was at the crease when the incidence took place in the 10th over of the Australian innings on the first day of the fourth Test in Melbourne. Crossing over, Kohli and Konstas bumped shoulders before quickly turning to glance at each other to engage in an exchange of heated words.
Khawaja immediately stepped in to separate them, putting his arm around Kohli. The on-field umpires also had a word with the two as things cooled down pretty quickly.
“I was walking the other way and just at the moment when I turned around I saw that collusion. I was like, ‘What is happening here?’ Sammy was going, he was on fire, his beans were obviously going. I just came to diffuse the situation,” Khawaja said for the ABC.
“I like the emotion. There was a bit of chirp going on between Sam and (Jasprit) Bumrah and Virat whole time. I just didn’t want it to be tainted with any sort of physicality.
“So I know Virat really well. He is a very old friend for me. I was like (to Konstas), ‘Chill. I’ll talk to him. You chill, and I’ll sort this out.” Former players Justin Langer, Michael Vaughan, and umpire Simon Taufel also felt it’s Kohli who went wrong.
“We don’t like to see that in any cricket,” said Langer, the former Australian coach, during commentary for the Seven Network. “There will be much speculation regarding this.”
The 19-year-old Konstas sent shockwaves through the Indian team with his sensational strokeplay, taking Bumrah and ending up with a score of 60 off 65 balls.
“Virat Kohli…such a seasoned pro gets riled up because of a 19 [year-old],” former England Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan remarked on Fox Cricket.
“Taufel, a five-time umpire of the year, also felt it was Kohli who got into the way of Konstas. It’s Virat that walks into Sam.”
“It shows Virat Kohli actually changing his line to get into the personal space of Sam Konstas,” Taufel said while commenting on the Seven Network.
“My suggestion would be they’ll be looking at that seriously and likely do something about that now again.” Kohli was later fined 20 percent of his match fee and awarded one demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Indian coach Ravi Shastri also held Kohli guilty of inciting the exchange.
