Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Virat Kohli shoulder-barging Sam Konstas in BGT 2024-25 4th Test ft. Dinesh Karthik

Virat Kohli landed in hot water after a shoulder-barge with debutant Sam Konstas in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne on Thursday. The star Indian batter was fined 20 percent of his match fee after being found guilty of breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct.

It all happened after the conclusion of the 10th over of Day 1 of the fourth Test, with the hosts having accumulated 44 runs. Konstas was all over the Indian bowling attack as he employed his positive intent to score runs at a quick pace. The 19-year-old played some outrageous shots off ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who had no answers to the youngster's assault.

As per the footage, Kohli seemed to deviate from his path and clashed with Konstas. Thereafter, the duo were involved in a heated altercation, as Usman Khawaja and the umpire had to intervene to separate them.

On the whole, the cricket fraternity believe that the confrontation from Virat Kohli was avoidable, and that it was surely due to India getting shell-shocked after Konstas' riveting knock of 60 off 65 balls. On that note, let's take a look at a few reactions to Kohli's shoulder-barge with Konstas.

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#1 Michael Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan shared his take on Virat Kohli's altercation with Sam Konstas. Vaughan wondered why Kohli involved in a shoulder clash and believes that Konstas' knock "rattled" India.

“I don’t know why he got involved in that. I mean, you’ve got a 19-year-old who’s clearly gone out there playing a method and in a way that’s rattled India,” Michael Vaughan told foxsports.com.au.

Vaughan further praised Konstas for his impressive knock and singled out Kohli for going out of his way to unsettle the youngster.

"He’s (Konstas) got away with a few things as he’s had a bit of fortune, but he’s played some extraordinary shots and for whatever reason, a senior pro has thought to get involved in a confrontation.

“The evidence on the footage for me is very, very clear that Virat makes his way towards Konstas, and Sam is on his way to speak to Usman, which he is allowed to do."

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#2 Dinesh Karthik

Former Indian keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik interacted with Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz following the conclusion of the first day of the Boxing Day Test. Bhogle started off the conversation by pointing out that former cricketers and his fellow commentators felt that Virat Kohli deserved a much bigger punishment.

On being asked about his response, Karthik opined that India weren't ready for an explosive start by Konstas, which resulted in Kohli's frustration. He said:

"The moment at which it occurred just you have to put it down to the frustration that has crept up. I don't think India saw an opener on debut coming out to do that. When that happened and it carried on for a bit longer than they would have liked they weren't liking the feeling of this targeted approach by Australia."

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#3 Parthiv Patel

In an interaction on Cricbuzz, Parthiv Patel offered his opinion on Virat Kohli's controversial act. He feels India didn't expect Sam Konstas to come out all guns blazing, which put them in a spot of bother.

"There is no doubt that frustration was visible because the way he was batting, the kind of shots he was playing, I don't think anyone expected that. Yes, they were expecting that he would play such shots, but I think that he would be successful in playing such shots. India did not expect that."

Moreover, Patel thinks Kohli went too far with his aggression and could have instead opted a verbal approach.

"As far as putting Virat Kohli's shoulder is concerned, I think you can see that frustration a little bit. You want to try to control a 19-year-old player, but it was a little disappointing to see that because you are a great player. You don't need to do such things on the ground. You guys can be aggressive and you can do a lot of things verbally," he added.

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#4 Ricky Ponting

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting hogged the limelight with his comments on Virat Kohli. He pinned the blame on Kohli for starting the heated exchange between the duo.

“Virat walked one whole pitch over to his right and instigated that confrontation,” former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said on Channel Seven. “No doubt in my mind whatsoever."

“I have no doubt that the umpires and the referee will have a good look at that. Fielders should be nowhere near the batters at that stage. Every fieldsman on the ground knows where the batters will congregate and get together," he added.

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#5 Ahmed Shahzad

Another former cricketer to jump in on the discussion was Ahmed Shahzad, who played for Pakistan from 2014-19. Shahzad thinks Kohli didn't want to invite unnecessary criticism, but it was surely due to his habit of spicing things up in a big series.

"I did not think that Virat Kohli wanted to ignite so many things. He just took a brisk walk towards him and and he touched his shoulder a little and kept walking towards the other end."

Shahzad further opined that Kohli is always supportive of youngsters and suggested that the controversy around the clash should be put to rest.

"Virat Kohli has been a great ambassador of the game and always supports the youngsters as much as we know. In such a high-voltage game, when a young boy is performing, then these things can happen. But without these things, how will it feel that it is the Border-Gavaskar series?" he added.