Ex-Cricketers Blame Virat Kohli's 'Arrogance' for Clash with Sam Konstas in 4th Test

Virat Kohli has been fined 20% of his match fee and received one demerit point for shoulder-bumping Australian debutant Sam Konstas during a heated moment at the MCG on Thursday morning.

Cricket, not being a contact sport, has strict guidelines on body contact. The relevant rule comes from the ICC's Code of Conduct (CoC), specifically Article 2.12, which states:

"Any form of inappropriate physical contact is prohibited in cricket. Players will breach this regulation if they deliberately, recklessly, or negligently walk into, shoulder, or make contact with another player or umpire."

When evaluating the seriousness of such breaches, factors considered include the context (whether the contact was intentional, reckless, negligent, or avoidable), the force of the contact, any resulting injury, and the person involved.

The incident occurred after the 10th over of Day One when Kohli was seen nudging Konstas with his shoulder in front of a 90,000-strong crowd at the MCG. This led to a brief exchange between the two players, with Usman Khawaja stepping in to defuse the situation. Kohli’s actions quickly sparked backlash, with former Australian captain Ricky Ponting calling for sanctions.

"Virat walked across the pitch to instigate the confrontation," Ponting said. "Fielders should not be near the batsman at that stage. The contact appeared unnecessary and might need further scrutiny from the umpires and referee."

Ravi Shastri, former India coach, also criticized Kohli's behavior, stating, "There’s a line in cricket that shouldn’t be crossed."