NEW DELHI: During the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Indian cricketer Virat Kohli was involved in a shoulder-bumping incident with Australian debutant Sam Konstas. This incident has drawn considerable attention from the Australian media.
Kohli received a 20% fine of his match fee for the altercation and one demerit point. However, some, including former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, believe a stricter penalty was warranted.
Scorecard: India vs Australia, 4th Test
Even before the match, Kohli was already under significant media scrutiny Down Under. He was surrounded by journalists at the airport, and one reportedly tried to take an unauthorized photo of him and his family.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri criticized the Australian media’s coverage of Kohli, describing it as “desperation.”
“You are three Test matches into the series, the scoreline is 1-1. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is still undecided. If Australia had been leading 3-0 or even 2-0, the narrative might have been different. But now, the entire country, including the media, is behind the team, pushing hard for a win in Melbourne,” Shastri said on Star Sports.
Shastri believes the Australian media used the shoulder-bump incident to target Kohli.
“When the physical contact happened, it was like, ‘this is our chance.’ They brought out the fangs and the paintbrush to create a larger story,” he added.
The incident has highlighted the intense competition in the series. Shastri suggests the media’s reaction reflects the pressure on the Australian team to win back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The pressure on both teams to perform well is immense. The media scrutiny adds another layer of complexity to this rivalry.
