There has not been any shortage of drama in the latest edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But at no point has it shown signs of turning into a full-blown controversy.
At Adelaide, there was Mohammed Siraj vs Travis Head. Despite the Australian crowd trying its best to make it a talking point, both the players moved on, bringing down the tension. Between the Brisbane and Melbourne Test, sections of Australian media went after Virar Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja for nonexistent issues. But with just 10 days of cricket left, on Boxing Day a new fire has been lit. It is no surprise that the one who stroked the fire happened to be Virat Kohli — a player who has had his fair share of run-ins with Australian players and the crowd. Back then, nobody complained. If anything, his aggressive, in-your-face attitude won him fans.
Not this time though. Without any provocation, Kohi walked across the pitch and bumped shoulders with 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas. Heated moments when Kohli is on the field aren’t new. But a physical contact with an opponent goes against the spirit of the ethos that the game is built on. Being a senior player and arguably global cricket’s biggest ambassador, better behaviour is expected from Kohli. He isn’t a brash 20-year-old, who wants to hush up his doubters any more. Despite his aggressive behaviour on the field in the past, he was seldom pulled up by match officials. For he never really crossed the line.
India’s Virat Kohli, talks to Australia’s Sam Konstas (second left) as Usman Khawaja (right) looks on during the first day of the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. (AP Photo)
But on Thursday, there is every reason for everyone including match referee Andy Pycroft to believe Kohli has taken it too far against a debutant, who had picked him as a hero. It will definitely not go down as a proud moment for Kohli, who in the past has been gracious. As much as his on-field antics, the cricket world will also remember how he asked the Indian fans to stop jeering Steve Smith during the 2019 World Cup for his involvement in sandpaper gate. Since that time Kohli has been a mellowed down version of himself, one who doesn’t go looking for a war of words with opponents.
Of late, he had been welcoming — remember sitting down with Haseeb Hameed at Mohali — and appreciative of newcomers. If anything Konstas’ audacity and his intent to take the bull by the horns should have won him a huge fan in Kohli. But the 19-year-old realised what “never meet your heroes” actually means. Kohli’s conduct will be reprimanded. He may not earn enough demerit points to miss the next Test, but Kohli may have lost a fan in Konstas.
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