Melbourne [Australia], December 27 : Star India batter Virat Kohli is once again making headlines in Australia amid the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) against Australia. As the legendary batter battles poor form, he is making headlines not only for his form concerns, but also his heated on-field confrontation with debutant Australian opener Sam Konstas.
Cricket fans would describe Konstas' debut as 'pure cinema' and no doubt it was one. The 19-year-old came to the senior side with plenty of hype around him after winning the ICC U19 World Cup with Australia and delivering some fantastic hundreds in first-class cricket, including one against India during a pink-ball warm-up Test while representing Prime Minister's XI at Manuka Oval, which saw him take on Indian stars like Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana etc.
In his first meeting against a full-strength Indian side, Konstas showed immense confidence, unafraid of trying some unorthodox shots. In order to build pressure on the youngster, Virat involved the good old tactic of using his trademark aggression, bumping into Konstas, and making shoulder-to-shoulder contact. However, the tactic backfired as he smashed star pacer Jasprit Bumrah for some big shots, including a reverse ramp and looted 34 runs against him out of his total of 60. Virat was also fined 20 per cent of his match fee and handed one demerit point by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
This incident opened the floodgates of some negative press for Virat from Aussie media. The back page of The West Australian newspaper, calling Virat a "clown" has gone viral on social media.

Speaking on 7 Cricket, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting also argued that the fine was "not harsh enough".
Ponting said, "Personally, I do not think it [the punishment] was harsh enough. I know there are precedents [where similar infringements have incurred similar-sized penalties] - they have generally been between a 15 and 25 per cent fine but let us have a think about the enormity of yesterday."
"It is probably the most-watched day of cricket all year all around the world. Imagine if that happens in a grade game on the weekend now, what is going to happen there? I think people are going to think that that is almost acceptable now."
"And unfortunately for someone like Virat, as we got told as players and as senior players, sometimes it is [the scale of punishment] just different for some people. He is a role model, he is somebody the cricketing world looks up to, so I personally do not think that the fine was harsh enough," he concluded.
FOX Sports also published an article containing views of some of the game's greats on the incident, with the headline saying, "'He won't be too proud': Greats speak out on Kohli amid concerns of legacy in Australia". In the article, former Australian cricketer Kerry O'Keeffe spoke on how this incident could affect Virat's legacy and former wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist also talked on if fining rich cricketers is enough punishment or not.
Wide World of Sports (WWOS) also posted two articles on the incident, with one headline highlighting how Virat escaped a ban. The headline read, "Kohli escapes ban for 'unnecessary' Konstas bump".
Another article had views of legendary Steve Waugh on the incident, saying that he was lucky to have escaped a ban.
"'Extremely lucky': Waugh takes aim over Kohli sanction," the headline of the WWOS article read.
An article in SEN Cricket also urged the ICC to do its job and make sure that the MCG Test is Virat's last test on Aussie soil. This was published just hours after the incident. The headline read, "If the ICC does its job, Boxing Day should be Virat Kohli's last Test on Australian soil."
After the fine was announced, SEN produced another article with a headline, ""Embarrassing for the ICC and world cricket": Was Virat Kohli given special treatment?"
An article by the Sydney Morning Herald with headline, "The secret post-sandpaper-gate change that saved Virat Kohli from suspension" highlights how changes in the ICC code of conduct following the Australia's ball-tampering case in 2018 during the South Africa Test series benefited Virat and saved him from a ban. As per the article, much stricter penalties were introduced for tampering after the incident and the physical contact was moved from a "level two" (which could involve a ban) to a "level one" offence, which called for much lighter punishments like fines.
In order to win back the hearts of Aussie media, which hyped his arrival at the start of the series, some big scores will be needed in this series.
Except for an unbeaten 100 in the first Test at Perth, the Aussies have managed to keep Virat quiet as he has managed just 26 runs in his other four innings, including three single-digit scores.
At MCG in Tests, however, Virat has a fabulous record scoring 316 runs in three Tests at an average of 52.66, with a century and two fifties to his name in six innings. His best score is 169, which came in 2014.
Overall, Virat's Boxing Day Test record, including in the matches against South Africa, is solid. In six Tests and 12 innings, he has made 540 runs at an average of 45.00, with a century and three fifties to his name. His best score is 169.
Fans would no doubt be wanting a big score from the 36-year-old legend, as across all formats this year, Virat has scored just 614 runs at an average of 21.92, with just one century and two fifties to his name and best score of 100*.
In nine Tests this year, he has scored 376 runs at an average of 25.06, with just a century and fifty to his name in 17 innings. His best score is 100*.
The decade of 2020s has not been kind to Virat the Test batter. In 37 Tests and 64 innings, he has managed just 1,964 runs at an average of 31.67, with just three centuries and nine fifties and best score of 186.
In the ongoing ICC World Test Championship final, Virat has scored 687 runs at an average of 36.15 in 12 matches and 21 innings, with two centuries and three fifties and the best score of 121.