Former Australian captain Michael Clarke made a big statement on the Virat Kohli-Sam Konstas incident during the fourth Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Melbourne. Michael Clarke has defended Virat Kohli's shoulder barge, describing him as a tough, aggressive player who never backs down on the field.
Australia chose to bat first after winning the toss at the MCG. Sam Konstas impressed on his debut, scoring 60 runs off 65 balls with attacking shots. Kohli changed tracks to shoulder barge Konstas in Australia's first innings. The ICC fined Virat Kohli 20% of his match fee and issued him one penalty point.
A powerful and aggressive cricketer on the field – Michael Clarke in Virat Kohli
Speaking on Beyond 23 Cricket, Michael Clarke said Kohli's frustration with the young Australian opener was due to a lack of respect towards Jasprit Bumrah.
“Virat, a very senior player. A tough, aggressive cricketer on the field – he will never take a step back, and he never did in his entire career,” Clarke said on Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
“When I think about my time on the field, and being a senior player when you see a youngster coming in, I think Virat was frustrated by the lack of respect that Sam showed to the best player in the world in Bumrah. I think that's what frustrated Virat,” he added.
Virat Kohli was going to talk to Sam Konstas after the match – Michael Clarke
Former Australian players and local media criticized Virat Kohli after the incident, calling him a “clown”. Clarke expressed confidence that Kohli would have resolved the issue with Konstas, stating that Kohli is not a malicious person and would have likely spoken to the youngster after the match.
“I know Virat too, he was going to talk to Sam after the match. Virat is a great guy. So those two would have sorted it out. I don't know (if) Virat would have apologized, whatever it was. Virat is not a bad person. So it will be fixed,” Clark said. That's 100%.”
“I think Virat was sticking to his team and I know you can't go shoulder to shoulder, and he was fined for that. It was more than that, I think Virat was frustrated because 'How dare you disrespect the best player in the world like that and think you can get away with it?' “So his mind was thinking that he was sticking to his team,” he added.
Virat Kohli faced a lukewarm reception from Melbourne fans
After his encounter with Konstas, Kohli faced a lukewarm reception from the Melbourne crowd for the remainder of the match. He scored just 41 runs in both innings in India's 184-run loss. The right-handed hitter has a sub-28 average after four games.
His form had been in question ahead of the series, after a sub-par home series against New Zealand. India's hopes now depend on Kohli regaining his form as they look to win the fifth and final Test in Sydney, starting January 3, to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
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