A video of Virat Kohli spitting his chewing gum in the direction of Australian cricket fans has gone viral
Making his debut for Australia in the Boxing Day Test against India, teenager Sam Konstas grabbed headlines with his explosive 60-run knock at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday. During his innings, Konstas unleashed some powerful shots, effectively countering the threat posed by Jasprit Bumrah. However, the 19-year-old opening batter was also involved in a heated altercation with none other than his favorite player Virat Kohli. After his dismissal, Konstas reflected on the incident, admitting that emotions ran high for both him and Kohli.
Virat Kohli spits chewing gum in Australian fans direction in the MCG after they boo him, video goes viral
Following the on-field clash, both Virat Kohli and Sam Konstas exchanged a few heated words. Australia opener Usman Khawaja had to step in to diffuse the tension, putting an arm around the Indian cricket icon. Umpire Michael Gough also joined in, attempting to maintain peace between the players.
Kohli replies to fans who were booing him near the boundary pic.twitter.com/tDSoH6ndfB
— Div🦁 (@div_yumm) December 26, 2024
Why Kohli shouldered Sam Konstas?
Virat Kohli has found himself in the midst of controversy during the fourth Test match in Melbourne. On the first day, Kohli shouldered Australian opener Sam Konstas, leading to heavy criticism. Meanwhile, a video of Kohli spitting while looking at the audience has gone viral on social media. As of now, there isn’t any confirmation on what prompted Kohli to act in such manner.
It is claimed on social media that during the Melbourne Test, Australian fans were constantly teasing Kohli, hooting at him, and he responded by spitting out chewing gum in their direction after a fielding effort at the boundary. Despite the backlash, Kohli is receiving tremendous support from Indian fans. Many veterans criticized him for the incident with Konstas, but fans believe Kohli did the right thing with them also abusing Konstas on his Instagram account.
After the 10th over on the first day, Kohli shouldered Konstas, and later appeared before the match referee, resulting in a fine. Match referee Andy Pycroft fined Kohli 20% of his match fee and imposed one demerit point. Kohli admitted his mistake, but the Australian media felt the punishment was too lenient, with some calling for a one-match suspension. Commentator Harsh Bhogle also believed Kohli got off lightly.