“Sparked The Clash: Ricky Ponting Holds Virat Kohli Fully Responsible For Sam Konstas Incident”

Virat Kohli comes under fire after shoulder clash with Australian debutant Sam Konstas

It was the most intense moment on Day 1 of the fourth Test as Indian veteran Virat Kohli and Australian newcomer Sam Konstas collided shoulders. The encounter saw Kohli fix Konstas with a sharp glare before the pair exchanged words. had quoted, the ICC found Kohli responsible for the incident and penalized him 20% of his match fee. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting held no one but Kohli responsible for the brawl.

“Look at Virat’s movement. He’s walked across an entire pitch to his right and started that confrontation. No two doubts in my mind,” Ponting said during commentary for Seven Cricket.

The criticism by Ponting was also supported by several former cricketers and even ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan.

“He’s completely out of line. I don’t understand why such an experienced player, someone who’s been around for so long, would be unsettled by a 19-year-old,” Vaughan stated.

Former Australian cricketer Kerry O’Keefe took a harsher tone, accusing Kohli of arrogance.

“Kohli has based his entire career on arrogance. And when he found that very same trait in a debutant, he seemed to resent it. He’s in trouble,” O’Keefe said.

The former coach of Kohli, Ravi Shastri, too, seemed to be not in approval of the confrontation with Konstas:

“It’s unnecessary. Completely unnecessary. You don’t want to see that kind of behavior. Virat’s a senior player, a former captain—he’ll have his reasons, but it’s not something that should happen,” Shastri commented on Fox Cricket.

But that wasn’t the only animated demeanor Kohli displayed. The stump microphones later caught Kohli telling pacer Mohammed Siraj to “not smile while talking” to the Australian players. It was another drama in the day.