Courtesy: Cricket Australia/X
In the first session of the boxing day Test between Australia and India, the fourth match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series, former Indian captain Virat Kohli had a collision with teenage Australian debutant Sam Konstas at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The incident has led to a widespread criticism of Virat Kohli in the cricketing community, including the experts and the fans alike, which prompted a talk in regards to a potential ban for the 36-year-old if he is found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct.
Before the start of the 11th over of the Australian innings, Virat Kohli had a run-in with Sam Konstas before they exchanged a few heated words as the umpires and their fellow teammates separated them from escalating the situation further. The crowd at the MCG booed Virat Kohli for colliding with Sam Konstas, while Ricky Ponting and Michael Vaughan in the commentary box called it a doing of the former Indian captain, and many agreed with them.
Watch the video of Virat Kohli's collision with Sam Konstas here:
What does ICC's Code of Conduct on Virat Kohli-Sam Konstas incident says?
As far as the incident between Virat Kohli and Sam Konstas is concerned, it comes under Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct which reads, “Inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator) during an International Match.”
It states, “Note: Any form of inappropriate physical contact is prohibited in cricket. Without limitation, Players will breach this regulation if they deliberately, recklessly and/or negligently walk or run into or shoulder another Player or Umpire. When assessing the seriousness of the breach, the following factors (without limitation) shall be taken into account: (i) the context of the particular situation, including, without limitation, whether the contact was deliberate (i.e. intentional), reckless, negligent, and/or avoidable; (ii) the force of the contact; (iii) any resulting injury to the person with whom contact was made; and (iv) the person with whom contact was made.”
“Level 1 ✓ (Level 1 is available only in the case of contact with Players, Player Support Personnel or any other person). Level 2 ✓ (Level 2 is available only in the case of contact with Players, Player Support Personnel or any other person). Level 3 ✓ (Level 3 is available only in the case of contact with Umpires and Match Referees.) Level 4 ✓ (Level 4 is available only in the case of contact with Umpires and Match Referees.),” it concludes.
How will referee make decision on Virat Kohli-Sam Konstas incident?
Whether Virat Kohli gets banned for one match or not, it will all come down to how referee Andy Pycroft interprets the incident of the former Indian captain with Sam Konstas. If it is a Level One offence, then Virat Kohli will only get fined some if not all of his match fees, but it is a Level Two offence, then he would receive either three or four demerit points, and the latter will trigger a one match ban, which will rule him out of playing the fifth and final BGT Test match in Sydney.
The same could be the fate of Sam Konstas, who had managed to score a fifty on his Test debut in front of more than 70,000 people in some style at the MCG in Meblurne.
