IND vs AUS: Ricky Ponting Criticises ICC’s Lenient Punishment on Virat Kohli’s Altercation
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting criticised the ICC for going easy on Virat Kohli. The ICC recently fined Kohli 20 percent of his match fee for a physical altercation with Australia's young opener Sam Konstas, but Ponting believes the punishment was too lenient for such an incident.
In the 10th over of Australia’s innings on Day 1, Virat Kohli and Sam Konstas clashed after a shoulder collision. Kohli suddenly changed his path and bumped into Konstas. The two exchanged words before Usman Khawaja and umpire Michael Gough stepped in to separate them. Konstas, undeterred, went to score an impressive 60 off 65 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes on debut.
Ponting expressed dissatisfaction with the punishment, saying it wasn’t strict enough. He had earlier criticized Kohli for initiating the altercation and urged the ICC to take stronger action against the Indian star. Ponting believes the penalty should have been tougher to match the seriousness of the incident involving Australia’s young opener Sam Konstas. He said:
Personally, I don’t think it (the punishment) was harsh enough. I know there are precedents (where similar infringements have incurred similar sized penalties) – they’ve generally been between a 15 and 25 percent fine but let’s have a think about the enormity of yesterday.
Before Day 2 of the Boxing Day Test, Ricky Ponting discussed the ICC’s decision to fine Kohli 20 percent of his match fees. Ponting felt the punishment was too lenient, considering the seriousness of the situation. He believed the fine didn’t reflect the gravity of Kohli’s actions.
Comments