"Kohli felt the pinch" - Former Australian spinner reckons Sam Konstas got under India’s skin on Day 1 of 4th BGT 2024-25 Test

Team India's ace batter Virat Kohli was involved in a fiery altercation with Australia's debutant opener Sam Konstas on Day 1 of the ongoing Boxing Day Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Melbourne. Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg opined that Konstas got under the skin of Indian players with his unorthodox strokeplay.

Konstas didn't shy away from attempting a reverse scoop off Jasprit Bumrah's bowling in the third over of the innings. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, the 19-year-old finally nailed the stroke.

Hogg suggested that Konstas would have had to deal with widespread criticism had he thrown away his wicket early by playing the reverse scoop. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, the cricketer-turned-expert said:

"They chirped Konstas, then all of a sudden he looked as though he had taken the bait, tried to reverse ramp, got away with it, play and miss. He tried it again, got away with that. If you nick one of those, the punters would have been giving him absolute serve, having a field day."

Virat Kohli and Sam Konstas' showdown became a big talking point among fans and former cricketers. The two bumped shoulders while moving across the wicket after the 10th over of the Australian innings.

Commenting on the incident, Hogg said:

"But all of a sudden, those two attempted shots caused Bumrah and Siraj to change their length. All of a sudden, he found a couple of boundaries and the pressure was on India. Not only did Bumrah and Siraj feel the pinch, the captain as well as Kohli felt the pinch as well and they lost control of their emotions, allowing Konstas to take the game away."

It is worth mentioning that Kohli was fined 20 percent of his match fees and handed one demerit point by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his exchange with Konstas.

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"They were able to control the game after that first session" - Brad Hogg on Indian bowlers bouncing back after Sam Konstas' wicket

Sam Konstas had a memorable debut as he notched up a fine half-century. The swashbuckling batter scored 60 runs off 65 balls before falling LBW to left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

Brad Hogg opined that Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne failed to capitalize on the platform set by Sam Konstas as they allowed the Indian bowlers to dictate the proceedings after the first session. He added:

"It looked as though Australia were in a commanding position. But Khawaja and Labuschagne didn't continue the momentum and they allowed the Indian bowlers to get the momentum that they wanted back. They were able to control the game after that first session."

Australia finished 311/6 at stumps on Day 1. Steve Smith and Pat Cummins remained unbeaten on 68 and 8, respectively. For India, Jasprit Bumrah bagged three wickets on the opening day.