Ricky Ponting blames Virat Kohli for instigating confrontation against Sam Konstas at MCG

Former cricketer Ricky Ponting accused Virat Kohli of instigating a verbal battle between him and debutant Sam Konstas in the ongoing Boxing Day Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The incident happened after the 10th over of the game on the opening day when Kohli was moving from one end to the other. During this, Kohli and Konstas’ shoulders bumped, and the latter retaliated immediately, and eventually Kohli wasn’t shy to give it back.

Analysing the incident, Ponting noted that the on-field umpires and the match referee might look into the matter after the game. He added that the fielders are aware of how the batters move after an over, and blamed Kohli for the shoulder bump. The 50-year-old also advocated for Konstas and mentioned that the debutant looked at Kohli really late and had no time to move before the India cricketer hit him.

“Virat walked one whole pitch over to his right and instigated that confrontation. No doubt in my mind whatsoever. I have no doubt that the umpires and the referee will have a good look at that. Fielders should be nowhere near the batsman at that stage. Every fieldsman on the ground knows where the batsmen will congregate and get together,” Ponting said on air after the incident.

A senior ICC source claims that the incident has been noted and that the seasoned Indian hitter may face disciplinary action. "The referee and umpires of the contest will now have to examine the video and evaluate the circumstances. According to the source, they might ask the participating players to explain.

“It looked to me that Konstas looked up really late, wouldn’t even know anyone is in front of him. That man on-screen there (Kohli) might have a few questions to answer,” he added.

Notably, veteran batter Usman Khawaja and on-field umpire Michael Gough calmed things down between Kohli and Konstas. The youngster meanwhile played aggressively on his debut and smacked 60 runs off 65 deliveries before Ravindra Jadeja dismissed him. His intent with the bat helped Khawaja settle down, who ended up scoring 57 runs.

Also Read: Virat Kohli acknowledges consistency concerns ahead of Boxing Day Test

The openers gave a startling start to the hosts and the middle order batters will be hoping to capitalize on it. The series is currently poised at 1-1 and the winner of the game will not only have a mental edge leading to the Sydney Test but will also be closing in on the World Test Championship finale.