Sam Konstas (left) was involved in a heated exchange with Virat Kohli during MCG Test.© X (formerly Twitter)
A shoulder-barging incident between India star Virat Kohli and Australia’s teenager Sam Konstas turned out to be one of the most controversial moments of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The incident happened in December last year during Australia’s innings when the players were crossing over. Kohli and Konstas bumped shoulders while moving across the pitch. Both players quickly turned around to glance at each other and engage in a heated exchange of words with Konstas’ teammate Usman Khawaja stepping in to separate them.
While speaking about the incident back then, Konstas told the broadcaster that “emotions got to both of us”. The Australian opener has now come up with a rather bold reply in his recent interview to 7NEWS.
Reflecting on the incident again, teenager Konstas said, “No, I have no regrets. I like to live by that and it was so special. I’ve watched it so many times, I’m not going to lie.”
It was a moment that divided opinion between Indian and Australian fans, experts and media, and even led to Kohli being labelled a “clown” by an Australian newspaper.
Looking back at the incident, former Australia cricketer Brad Haddin has put the blame entirely on Kohli, saying that Kohli had turned into a frustrated figure, not just because of Konstas’ aggressive brand of cricket, but also because of his own lean patch. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was also among the ex-cricketers who blasted Kohli for the act.
Kohli was fined 20 per cent match fee and was also handed one demerit point for the face-off with the Australian teenager.
After the incident, many former players predicted that the India star might face suspension but that didn’t happen as he was charged with a Level 1 offence. Level 2 offences carry a penalty of three to four demerit points. Four demerit points would lead to a suspension of one Test.
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