Michael Clarke doesn't want to blame Virat Kohli on tiff with umpires in Melbourne

When India play Australia, how can controversy be too far? A glimpse of it was found during the second T20I at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday when rain came down during the Australian innings. The controversy though did not involve players from the opponent teams but Indian captain Virat Kohli who was visibly upset when the umpires officiating the game refused to stop play in the downpour.

Kohli was angry since continuing play in the rain could be potentially hazardous for the players – especially the fielding side who would not be only be finding it difficult to grip the ball but also slip on the ground and injure themselves. The Indian captain, however, found a backing from players – both from India and Australia – on the matter.

‘Don’t blame Virat,’ says Clarke

Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke along with Indian opener Robin Uthappa backed Kohli during their interaction in a television studio. Clarke, who was doing commentary at the time of Kohli taking on the on-field umpires over the continuation of the play, said: “I don’t blame Virat here at all.” Both the on-field umpires – Gerard Abood and Simon Fry – are from Australia.

The Australian innings could not be finished as they put up 132 for 7 in 19 overs after Kohli won the toss and asked them to bat. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed took two wickets apiece in the match while Krunal Pandya came up with an improved performance after the beating he received in Brisbane on Wednesday.

India’s targets kept on undergoing revisions (from 137 in 19 overs to 90 in 11 overs to 46 in five overs) but the weather conditions remained bad to allow the game from proceeding any further. The washout of the match meant India continue to trail 0-1 in the three-match series with the final match scheduled in Sydney on Sunday. India will not be able to win the series any more but will try all out to square it now.

[interaction id=”5bf8e36719584b5e49a69dca”]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.