NEW DELHI: Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has expressed disappointment over the 20 percent match fee fine imposed on Indian batting star Virat Kohli for his altercation with debutant Sam Konstas, arguing that the punishment handed down by the ICC “is not harsh enough.”
Konstas’ debut was a memorable affair, as the 19-year-old not only impressed with a fearless 60-run knock, including 34 runs off Indian pace ace Jasprit Bumrah, but also found himself at the center of controversy involving Kohli.
During a tense moment, Kohli shoulder-bumped Konstas in a direct physical contact, for which the ICC fined him 20 percent of his match fee and added one demerit point to his disciplinary record.
Speaking on 7 Cricket ahead of day two of the match, 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.”
Ponting also emphasised the broader implications of such incidents.
“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.”
He further highlighted the responsibilities of senior players like Kohli and said: “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.”
