Ricky Ponting slams Sydneysiders for booing Virat Kohli calls their act “disgraceful”

Cricket fans in Sydney faced the anger of Aussie legend Ricky Ponting over their disgraceful behaviour at the ground when Indian captain Virat Kohli was walking back to the pavilion. Team India is one step away from registering their first Test series win in Australia. India entered into the Sydney Test with a 2-1 lead in the series, this morning. Opener Mayank Agarwal’s fifty and No.3 Cheteshwar Pujara’s century put India on top as the visitors reached 303 for 4 at Stumps Day 1. The brilliant Pujara, who scored his third hundred in the series, remained not out on 130.

Nevertheless, Australia was able to uproot Kohli prematurely and the Indian captain could only add 23 runs. The Australian bowlers looked pretty confused with regards to Agarwal, at least until lunch. But the youngster went for one shot too many and Nathan Lyon got rid of him on 77. In the case of Kohli, he repeated the same mistake as the previous innings in Melbourne, it was the short ball trick that worked again. Josh Hazlewood bowled one short of length and the right-hander tried to play it down the leg-side and Tim Paine took a catch behind the stumps.

The reason for Ricky Ponting’s outrage

While Kohli was walking his way back to the pavilion he was jeered and booed by a section of the Sydney crowd. Ponting made his disapproval over this act very clear when he took aim over their ill-treatment of a global star.

“If it was booing then it’s absolutely disgraceful,” Ponting said on Channel 7. “I said that in the Perth Test as well. Show some respect.”

There were more people who sided Ponting, especially Sports producers and broadcasters –

On a Sports Radio channel, broadcaster Tim Lane said: “We should be better than that as a nation. I didn’t like it. All Kohli has been guilty of is leading his country in Australia and winning. If the people don’t like it, they should at least recognise it and applaud it.”

In fact, this wasn’t the first time that Kohli was booed by an Australian crowd. During his first tour of Australia, in 2012, the batsman was being heckled at the SCG and a youngster then Kohli had responded with showing the middle finger. Needless to say, Kohli was fined for this act.

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~ Written by Sritama Panda

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