The punishment awaiting Virat Kohli for shoving Sam Konstas became evident from the nature of the incident. Following the conclusion of the first day’s play in Melbourne, the official announcement came. The ICC stated that Kohli has been penalized after the four umpires filed a complaint against him for pushing the Australian opener on the pitch. Match referee Andy Pycroft imposed the sanction on the Indian star.
Kohli was fined 20% of his match fee and handed one demerit point for violating Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Indian cricketers earn ₹15 lakh per Test match as match fees, meaning Kohli has to pay a fine of ₹3 lakh for the Melbourne Test. In Bangladeshi currency, this amounts to ₹4.2 lakh.
The incident leading to the fine occurred on the first day of the Melbourne Test, where Kohli was penalized for an aggressive shove against Konstas. At the end of Australia’s 10th over, Konstas was walking across the pitch after removing his gloves when Kohli deliberately bumped into his shoulder. The confrontation escalated into a verbal exchange before Usman Khawaja and the umpires intervened to calm both players.
According to the ICC, Kohli was charged under Article 2.12 of the Code of Conduct, which pertains to “inappropriate physical contact with another player, support personnel, umpire, match referee, or spectator during an international match.”
The complaint against Kohli was filed by on-field umpires Joel Wilson and Michael Gough, third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Saikat, and fourth umpire Shawn Craig. As Kohli accepted the charge, no formal hearing was necessary.
Match referee Andy Pycroft, officiating in his 100th match, imposed the penalty. Pycroft has become the fourth match referee in history to reach the milestone of officiating 100 matches.
