India great Sunil Gavaskar claimed that Virat Kohli was not given any special treatment, but some former Australian players believe that the incident of physical confrontation with Boxing Day Test debutant Sam Constas was taken lightly. Went. There was a clash on the field between Kohli and Test debutant Sam Constas on the first day of the fourth Test on Thursday, for which the Indian cricketer was fined 20 percent of his match fee and one demerit point was added to his account.
Sunil Gavaskar angry at Australian media
However, 19-year-old Constas said after the end of the first day’s play that Kohli had not intentionally collided with him. He said, “Virat Kohli accidentally collided with me. This is cricket and this happens under stress.”
This confrontation remained a topic of discussion on Friday and Gavaskar criticized the Australian media for using strong words against Kohli. Australian media had demanded strict punishment for Kohli. Gavaskar rejected those claims, commenting, “You can’t hang someone for picking someone’s pocket.”
He said, “This is a modest punishment in terms of the amount. These players are all highly paid professionals. So any amount may seem small. You can say that the punishment is because of what we see and experience. “Maybe, but this is the maximum punishment decided by the ICC.”
He said, “It is not that any favor has been done to him. If his punishment had been 10 percent less, then you could have said that some favor has been done.” Criticizing the Australian media, Gavaskar said, “The Australian media acts like the 12th or 13th player for its team, targeting whoever it considers a threat to its team.”
He said, “They are saying that Kohli should be hanged for a small crime and he was saved because his status is very big.”
Ricky Ponting admitted that Virat got less punishment
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, however, believes that Kohli was given less punishment. “Personally, I don’t think the punishment was harsh enough,” Ponting said on Channel 7. “There are precedents, things have happened in the past and it’s usually been 15-25 per cent OK, but this big incident.” Was.” He said, “It was the most watched day of cricket all year around the world. Imagine what the consequences would be if it happened at this level? I think people will think it is almost acceptable now.”
Mark Waugh also expressed his anger on Virat Kohli
Former great Mark Waugh also shared similar views during commentary for ‘Fox Sports’. He stressed, “You cannot change the punishment in cases like this. Virat Kohli will look back at this case and say, ‘I have done wrong’. I think this penalty is very light.”
He warned that if not dealt with strictly, such incidents could become common in cricket. He said, “I think he is lucky to have escaped suspension. If he has been fined, it should have been at least 75 per cent. 20 per cent is nothing. There is no doubt that Sam Constas has helped the Indians. Was taken by surprise.”
Gavaskar showed mirror to Australia
Gavaskar also defended Kohli’s punishment by citing three similar incidents in the last one year. He said, “Last December, Ireland’s Josh Little was fined five percent of his match fee for physical contact with a batsman in a match in which Andy Pycroft was the referee.”
“Jasprit Bumrah was reprimanded for physical contact with England’s Ollie Pope and Nepal’s Arjun Kumar faced a penalty for a repeat offence. Kohli has received the maximum punishment (under the rules),” he said.
