During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy clash between India and Australia in Melbourne, Virat Kohli and Sam Konstas were involved in a heated incident. Both of the players were involved in a shoulder barge. After the incident, the Australian media, who regarded Virat Kohli as “King,” started disrespecting the Indian batter. Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan slammed the Australian media for their disrespectful behaviour and double standards towards Virat Kohli.
In the first innings of the Melbourne Test match between India and Australia, Sam Konstas was batting perfectly against the Indian bowling attack. He was slamming the visitors all over the park with his aggressive and attacking batting display. The 19-year-old played a magnificent knock of 60 runs, quickfiring the scoring rate for Australia.
After the 10th over, Indian cricketer Virat Kohli was moving towards the other end of the pitch, carrying the ball in his hands. Batter Sam Konstas was moving and adjusting his gloves, which resulted in a contact between the two players. Virat Kohli barged a shoulder towards the young batter, following a verbal interference.
Following this incident, Virat Kohli was penalized with one demerit point and a deduction of 20% of match fees. The veteran batter accepted his mistake and issued a statement apologizing for his actions, emphasizing the importance of maintaining discipline and sportsmanship on the field.
Irfan Pathan bashed the Australian media by saying, “First thing, Australian media is crossing limits of double standards. First, they make you the king, and then they show aggression by calling you a joker. You are using the popularity of the cricketer to make money, that way heads and tails both are yours, which is not acceptable to any of us ex-cricketers, especially Indians because this has been happening for ages now.”
“What Virat Kohli has done is wrong, no doubt about it, but ICC decides the quantum of punishment. Australian media are making a big fuss about it but forget what their players did in the past, who spat on Ramnaresh Sarwan and cussed his family. They go silent when it’s their players and then question the spirit of cricket when it’s about other players.” he added.
