Star batter Virat Kohli has been penalized for an incident during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. After the 10th over, while walking off the field, Kohli deliberately shoulder-barged debutant Sam Constance, leading to disciplinary action against him
On Thursday (December 26), match referee Andy Pycroft imposed the punishment following the first day’s play. Kohli reportedly pushed Constance, who was playing his first match for Australia, and later got into a verbal altercation with the young player.
This unacceptable behavior sparked widespread disapproval both on and off the field. It was evident that Kohli would face severe consequences, and that turned out to be true. He has been fined 20% of his match fee and awarded one demerit point.
The unusual incident took place at the end of the 10th over. Constance was walking toward Usman Khawaja to discuss something when Kohli intentionally bumped into him from the opposite direction. Constance didn’t hold back either and engaged in a heated exchange with Kohli.
Usman Khawaja stepped in to calm the situation. He first placed a hand on Constance’s shoulder and then addressed Kohli, trying to diffuse the tension.
Although the altercation ended, its repercussions lingered. Physical confrontation has no place in cricket. According to Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct, “Any form of inappropriate physical contact in cricket is prohibited.”
This means that any intentional, reckless, or negligent act of physically barging into another player or umpire violates the code of conduct.
As a result, the International Cricket Council (ICC) penalized Kohli with the aforementioned sanctions. Sam Constance, despite scoring a brilliant 60 off 65 balls in his debut, also received one demerit point for his involvement in the altercation.
Following the day’s play, umpires Joel Wilson, Michael Gough, and Sharfuddoula Ibne Saikat lodged complaints against both players to match officials. Since both Kohli and Constance admitted their guilt, no formal hearing was required.
