Indian superstar Virat Kohli has tried to bully Australian sensation Sam Konstas by shouldering him as the 19-year-old raced to an incredible half-century on his Boxing Day Test debut.
The former captain slammed his right shoulder into the batsman between overs, with Konstas exchanging some angry words with him before his teammate Usman Khawaja stepped in between the pair to resolve the situation.
Konstas was in the process of leaving India completely upset as he stormed to 50 runs from just 52 balls thanks to some great ramp shots and daring strokes as he smashed the strike to and over the boundary in one of the best debut innings by an Australian in history. memory.
Former Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting was scathing about Kohli in commentary on Channel Seven.
“The referees and the referee will undoubtedly look at that carefully,” Ponting said.
“I agree, her [the fielders] should not be near the batsman at that stage. Every fielder knows where the batsmen will converge and congregate.
Pictured: The moment Virat Kohli bumped his shoulder into Sam Konstas as the 19-year-old raced to a stunning 60 on debut in the Boxing Day Test
Konstas (left) exchanged angry words with Kohli (second from right) after the collision.
The teenager’s batting partner, Usman Khawaja (right) had to come between the rivals to calm the situation – before Konstas returned to crushing the Indian attack
‘It seemed that Konstas looked up very late and probably wouldn’t know that there was someone in front of him. That man [Kohli’ might have a few questions to answer.
‘When you’re out there batting the batsman owns the wicket. The crease is his. Especially between overs like that.
‘There’s no need for fielders or bowlers to be anywhere near the batsman in a situation like that.’
‘Kohli has walked one whole pitch over to his right and instigated that confrontation.’
His fellow Aussie great and Seven commentator Justin Langer was also shocked by the ugly moment.
‘No good. We don’t like seeing that in cricket. Plenty will be said about this,’ he added.
Ex-Test umpire Simon Taufel – who was also on Seven’s broadcast – joined the condemnation.
‘This is why both umpires tend to do a pitch handover at [the end of] every time. We don’t want to see any physical contact during the game. It has a tendency to get out of hand,” he explained.
“You could see the referees coming together on the screen and basically using their presence in the players’ area to take care of business. To nip things in the bud, so to speak: try to tone down the competition. Lots of energy. There’s a lot of adrenaline flowing.’
The visiting star’s shocking tactics failed to produce the desired results as Konstas responded by crossing another boundary.
“Whatever happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch,” Konstas told Seven when asked about the collision during a short break in play.
After surviving a nervy first over from the world’s best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, the New South Welshman quickly rose to prominence, wowing fans and pundits with his aggression, skill and shot selection.
Australian cricket commentator Ricky Ponting said Kohli (pictured) had instigated the confrontation – and could get in trouble with match officials as a result
Konstas powered his way to one of the greatest debuts by an Australian batsman in memory as he left the Indian bowlers rattled by his aggression and skill
Konstas failed to play three ramp shots off Bumrah before picking the 30-year-old for 14 runs, including a six, off one breathtaking over.
By the ninth over, India had reverted to deploying fielders to the boundary in an attempt to tame the NSW whiz kid’s attacking attitude.
Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, a villain of the Australian crowd this summer, fired words at Konstas several times but he remained unfazed.
AKonstas and Khawaja have already put together the highest opening stand of an Australian pair during this series.
The fearless right-hander reached fifty in just 52 balls in just over an hour at the crease and was eventually bowled out for 60 off just 65 balls.
Earlier, Australian captain Pat Cummins won the toss and decided to bat first, with temperatures expected to rise to 39 on Thursday.
The series is subtly tied at 1-1 and Australia must win at least one of the last two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney and prevent India from winning again to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Konstas, the country’s 468th male Test cricketer, received his baggy green cap from legendary former Australian captain Mark Taylor.
He is the fourth youngest Australian man to play at Test level.
Cummins was 18 when he made his Test debut and he has convinced Konstas to enjoy the moment and not be impressed.
“There’s a certain amount of naivety, that you just want to go outside and play, like you did when you were a kid in the backyard,” he said.
‘You always want to do well. I said this to Sammy the other day. I remember as an 18-year-old thinking, ‘I was given a lot more leeway because I was young’ – almost publicly.
‘I almost felt that if I didn’t play a great game it wasn’t my fault, it was the fault of the selectors who picked me… they’re the idiots who picked an 18-year-old.’