Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar commented on the bumping incident involving Australia's rising prospect Sam Konstas and India's ace player Virat Kohli, calling it "simply not cricket."
The incident occurred on the first day of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, in front of a sold-out crowd, and dominated headlines for days. The anxiety began when Konstas met Jasprit Bumrah, who is widely considered one of the world's top pacers.
As Konstas demonstrated his batting prowess, a furious moment added drama to the MCG spectacle. At the end of the tenth over, Kohli collided with the newcomer, creating an argument between the two players.
While fans and former players weighed in on the incident, Gavaskar criticized Kohli’s reaction, stating it was "simply not cricket."
"That said, what Kohli did with the shoulder bump is simply not cricket. Indians are not shy to retaliate if provoked, but here the provocation was simply not there. The one thing that players learn with experience is that it's futile to try and get back at the crowds, who have come to have a good time, so booing players is never personal but just a way to entertain themselves," Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Sydney Morning Herald.
During the series, Kohli had run-ins with the Australian crowd and got booed by them. Kohli, for his part, did not hesitate to react.
Kohli criticized the sandpaper incident from Australia's 2018 tour of South Africa during the opening session of the last BGT Test at the SCG, appearing heated up by the fans. Kohli turned to the crowd and flashed his empty pockets, alluding to the historic incident.
"To react to that doesn't do the player any good, and in fact, does more harm. Kohli must understand that whatever he does to react to the crowd actually puts more pressure on his teammates, who also then become targets of the spectators," Gavaskar added.
Kohli’s on-field antics were coupled with his struggles in form. Repeatedly tempted by deliveries outside off-stump, Kohli succumbed, edging to the slips or wicketkeeper. Australian pacers exploited this weakness, restricting Kohli to just 190 runs at an average of 23.75.
"With his continued failures to avoid nibbling at the deliveries around the off-stump, he failed to make the contribution that could have boosted the total," Gavaskar remarked about Kohli’s form.
Kohli is expected to be in action for India in the upcoming three ODIs against England at home.
