The shoulder-barging incident between Sam Konstas and Virat Kohli has been one of the most controversial moments of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25, resulting in a 20 per cent match fee fine for Virat Kohli along with one ICC demerit point. Now, Sam Konstas has used the incident to fuel banter with the Indian fans present at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). While fielding on Day 3 of the fourth Test, Konstas walked up towards Indian fans and mimicked a shoulder-barge action in front of them.
Konstas’ action sent the crowd to a mixture of cheers and boos, with the Australian fans loudly acknowledging it.
Watch: Sam Konstas mimics shoulder barge
On debut, 19-year-old Konstas played a sensational knock opening the batting, scoring 60 off 65 balls. But the knock was overshadowed by an incident with Virat Kohli, when the two clashed shoulders in the 10th over of the game.
The incident divided opinions among Indian and Australian ex-players, experts and media personnel, with many like former Australia captain Ricky Ponting demanding that Kohli should’ve been given a harsher penalty.
The incident reached boiling point when Virat Kohli was portrayed as a clown by Australian newspaper ‘The West Australian’ the following day.
This was met with fury from former Indian cricketers Irfan Pathan and Sunil Gavaskar, with the former calling Australian players and media “two-faced”.
“Australian newspapers, media and even some ex-cricketers are the definition of being two-faced. First, they go and call Virat Kohli the ‘King’, but the moment he shows some aggression, he is labelled in this way. Double standards,” Pathan had said on Star Sports.
On the other hand, Konstas saw the lighter side of the incident.
“I think the emotions got to both of us. I didn’t quite realise as I was doing my gloves. But, it happens in cricket,” Konstas told the broadcaster 7Cricket.
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