‘Won’t remember Virat Kohli as…’: Sunil Gavaskar slams India star after Sam Konstas clash

Legendary Sunil Gavaskar on Thursday criticized Virat Kohli for his heated altercation with young Australian debutant Sam Konstas, saying there was “no need” for the incident and that the Indian star would not want his legacy to be tarnished by such an episode . Kohli was fined 20 percent of his match fee and awarded a demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct after he and Konstas collided shoulders in the 10th over of Australia’s innings on the opening day of the fourth Test here.

“I’m not sure what the reason was, but there really wasn’t a need for that. We don’t need this at any level of cricket, certainly not at the highest level. You can play very, very competitive cricket without getting physical, Gavaskar told India Today.

“I think we all want to remember Kohli as one of the greatest cricketers ever in the game and not as someone who was fined whatever it is or censured by the ICC, we don’t want to hear that .

“So, maybe hopefully, he’ll learn from it and not want to do this again.”

The incident came after the 19-year-old Konstas had left India in a state of shock with his sensational batting in which he knocked down Jasprit Bumrah en route to a 65-ball 60.

In the 10th over, while crossing over, Kohli and Konstas bumped shoulders and quickly turned to look at each other and engaged in a heated exchange.

Australian opener Usman Khawaja immediately stepped in to separate them and put his arm around Kohli. The on-field umpires also had a chat with the two as things cooled down rather quickly.

Known for his passionate persona on the field, Kohli has courted controversy in the past, often for rubbing the opposition the wrong way in the past. He was sanctioned by the ICC in 2019 for another incident with South African Beuran Hendricks.

“I think the competitiveness is completely built into him. We’ve always seen how he celebrates every wicket taken, every catch, every good fielding by his teammates. We understand that and it’s great, there’s no something wrong with that, but I think getting physical, I don’t think it should be done,” Gavaskar continued.

“I don’t know, I mean when you play for India if that’s not big enough incentive then I don’t know what incentive you need. Playing for India in itself is such a big privilege that we could play. number 69 ranked team in the world or number one team in the world that should be enough motivation.”

Australia were 311 for six at stumps on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test.

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