Opinion Virat Kohli’s shoulder-bump to Sam Konstas wasn’t negligence: He should have known better
There is nothing wrong in showing aggression, it is this that has made him a modern-day great. But he should have picked someone of his stature and age to confront.
But Kohli should have known better. There is nothing wrong in showing aggression, it is this that has made him a modern-day great. (File) 
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There is this one line in the ICC’s statement on Virat Kohli’s shoulder-barge of 19-year-old Aussie opener Sam Konstas that most would disagree with. According to the game’s governing body, Kohli had “negligently bumped his shoulder with the batter inappropriately”. It also said that there was no formal hearing required as Kohli had admitted the offence and accepted the sanction of a 20 percent match fee cut. He would have got Rs 15 lakh, now he would receive Rs 12 lakh.
Negligence means “failure to take care”. Slackness and forgetfulness are a few apt dictionary synonyms. One needs to be either blind or biased to conclude that Kohli was anything but aware of what he was doing when he walked diligently to the edge of the pitch in his attempt to shatter a young batting buccaneer’s confidence and turn cricket into a contact sport.
Konstas remained unperturbed. He continued to treat India’s famed bowling with disdain. He dished out more of those audacious shots against the world’s best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, which left the visitors rattled. But with ICC confusing Kohli’s planned trek to the side of the pitch as a forgetful professor bumping into a fellow walker on some park trail, the world body inadvertently encouraged the prospect of turning cricket into football, if not rugby.
The Aussie commentators were livid, maybe their criticism was more shrill than the moment deserved. But the issue that should ideally be unanimously condemned had turned into whataboutery and a bizarre debate.
Former Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting would say that a fielder “should be nowhere near the batsman at that stage… where the batsmen congregate and get together”. Voices in the Indian media would remind Ponting of his own disciplinary record as an active professional. By that logic, should commentators with problems with the rising ball be allowed to commentate in Perth or those facing issues with swing be allowed to enter the media area in England?
Kohli’s actions didn’t go down well with the leading Indian voices. Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar pulled up the Indian star for his on-field behaviour. But the broadcaster had their balancing act ready. The voiceover for the day’s most-talked-about moment said: “Aussie teenager bumps into Kohli, who isn’t too impressed”. It’s the same as reporting deforestation with the headline: “Tree walks up to the axe, falls over it and cuts itself”.
Television broadcasters love all confrontations involving Kohli. They can’t resist taking sides in a good old face-off during modern cricket’s most-watched rivalry. Since the start of the series, during the breaks, Indian television audience are subjected to a documentary that discusses the Monkeygate series and R Ashwin-Tim Paine “See you at Gabba” sledge.
It plays on loop, reminding of the possibility of a flare and the history of confrontation. It goads the fans to stay tuned, suggesting that another angry exchange could be round the corner. In these times of “reels” and “shorts”, an angry exchange is gold dust and a Kohli shoulder-barge priceless. Even the promos of the Test series make two of the most endearing and well-behaved cricketers — captains Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins — into scowly characters. The art-work has rough wild strokes, they are made to look menacing, eager to go at each other’s throats.
Despite the best efforts of marketers, the series had been mostly cordial. The Mohammad Siraj-Travis Head fight turned out to be short-lived. After Siraj’s angry send-off to the Aussie left-hander, they seemed to have made up when they met at the end of the innings. This would have broken the hearts of television producers, like it might have when young Konstas poured freezing cold water over the potentially fiery issue by saying “it happens, it is cricket”.
Over the last few years, there is an “outrage industry” that has grown around Kohli. Any criticism of Indian stars is followed with the social media meltdown of those who associate with the Virat Army. Such is the popularity of cricket’s superstar that support for him also gets monetised. Not just in India, YouTubers in Pakistan also follow this business model. Ridiculing Babar and praising Kohli works as fuel to the industry in the form of likes, shares and subscriptions.
But Kohli should have known better. There is nothing wrong in showing aggression, it is this that has made him a modern-day great. But he should have picked someone of his stature and age to confront. Konstas was a very wrong choice. Here was a teenager who didn’t get intimidated by the grand occasion of a Boxing Day Test. He wasn’t conscious of the bowler he was facing or the greats standing behind him in the slips, one of them being Kohli, his role model since he was a kid. Konstas was sure of his skills, and played like he always had. He was exactly what Kohli was when he was a teenager.
At least, Kohli should have respected that trait that made him a champion batsmen. At least, for once, he could try to be a hero who would not disappoint his fanboy. Konstas deserved a pat on the back for carrying forward his legacy, not a shoulder- barge. But why does Kohli do this? Because he is allowed and it also keeps the wheel moving.
sandeep.dwivedi@expressindia.com
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