Virat Kohli depicted as clown in Australian newspaper, Ravi Shastri reacts

Former India captain Ravi Shastri said he was not surprised by the ‘berserk’ reaction of a section of the Australian media to Virat Kohli’s on-field bust-up with 19-year-old opener Sam Konstas during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Shastri noted that the over-the-top reaction reflects the desperation of the home side, given their winless run against India in the high-stakes Boxing Day clashes.

A clip of the sports page from a popular Australian newspaper went viral on social media on Friday morning. The headline of the piece read ‘Clown Kohli’, accompanied by a photo of the Indian superstar with a ‘clown’s nose’. It also stated, “Indian sook slammed for pathetic bump in teen’s dream Test debut,” referring to Kohli’s shoulder contact with the young Konstas.

Former Australian cricketers also criticised Virat Kohli, condemning the senior batter’s gesture, which led to sanctions from the International Cricket Council. While it was speculated that Kohli might face a Test ban for a Level 2 offence, the Indian batting star avoided suspension and was fined 20 per cent of his match fee by match referee Andy Pycroft on Thursday.

“You expect that in a home country. I wish our country would stand up for our players in situations like this in a bigger way. I am not surprised by this at all, simply because Australia hasn’t won here in 14–15 years. The last time they won a Test match at the MCG was in 2011. So, when they get an opportunity to go berserk, they will go berserk,” Ravi Shastri told Star Sports.

“In many ways, it’s a little bit of desperation. You know, you are three matches into the series, the scoreline is 1–1, and you have still not won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“You know, you’ve got to win at Melbourne. So, all these things creep in.

“I’ve been to Australia many, many times. It’s like the whole country comes behind the team—not just the crowds, but the media as well. I am not surprised because I see that sense of desperation. If Australia had already been 3–0 or 2–0 up, the headlines might have been different.

“I know where that’s coming from. It’s built up over a period of time, and it had to come out somewhere. Someone had to be the target. Then they got the opportunity with that physical incident yesterday.

“They said, ‘This is our chance; let’s get pens and paintbrushes out and start doing all sorts of things.’ You saw that thing on Virat Kohli’s nose. I mean, they forgot to paint the seam there—that would have been a ball.”

RAVI SHASTRI ON VIRAT KOHLI’S FINE

Ravi Shastri also criticised those who complained about Virat Kohli not receiving a harsher sanction, stating that the ICC must have followed proper protocols before determining the punishment for the Indian batter.

Shastri recalled the 2018 incident involving Kagiso Rabada and Steve Smith, highlighting how the South African pacer’s one-match ban was overturned and the punishment reduced to a 25 per cent match fee after appeals. Shastri noted that precedents have been set for such breaches of the code of conduct.

“Like I said, the match referee has done his job; the fine has been set at 20% of his match fee,” Shastri said.

“There’s a precedent. You know, there was a confrontation between Kagiso Rabada and Steve Smith that was more physical. Rabada was charged with a Level 3 punishment, and then he went and appealed. It was brought down to Level 1 and a 20% fine.

“So, there’s a benchmark set. The umpires have a record of the players over the last few years regarding how often players have offended the laws. There are some points given there. A voting process takes place, and then they come up with a decision. Then it goes to the ICC technical committee, which makes the final call.

“So, they would have gone through all that. As I mentioned, there must be a benchmark somewhere, and a lot would have had to do with the Steve Smith and Rabada confrontation to bring it down to Level 1 and impose the punishment.

“It’s been handed over to the match referee, and you can do nothing about it,” Shastri added.

Notably, Ravi Shatri was among the first ones to condemn Virat Kohli for the on-field bust-up on Thursday. The former head coach did not mince words when he said Kohli’s act was unbecoming of his stature.