Virat Kohli‘s controversial shoulder-bump to Australia‘s teenage debutant Sam Konstas on the first day of the fourth Test was expected to turn the Melbourne crowd hostile towards the Indian batting legend, but some of the fans probably took it a little too far by passing comments that upset Kohli while he was walking back to the dressing room after his dismissal.
However, the Melbourne Cricket Club CEO, Stuart Fox, has confirmed that there has been no official complaint by India for the heckling incident.
After being booed upon his arrival, Kohli looked determined during his partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal, until the pair was involved in a mix-up that had Kohli ball-watching and cost India the run-out of Jaiswal, who was batting on 82.
The unexpected end to the 102-run partnership led to India losing two more wickets before close of play, including the big one of Kohli after he had done the hard work to reach 36.
Visuals of Kohli walking back through the passage leading up to the dressing room showed the former India captain returning halfway to respond to some of the fans who allegedly had said something objectionable. A visibly heckled Kohli was then escorted to the dressing room by a member of the security staff.
“You’re never comfortable when you’ve got fans heavily engaging with the player,” said Fox, talking to SEN radio. “As the operator, you are just always watching. I went and looked at the vision last night. I have been talking to security this morning. There has been no official complaint from India; they are comfortable.
“I think a bit of heckling happened late and Kohli obviously popped his head back. I’ll be concerned if it was really abusive and (there is) any physical contact or abuse that’s pushing the boundary. That’s where we are always making sure everyone is well behaved.
“I love Kohli; I love what he has done for our game. I don’t particularly love the booing. I think he should be congratulated on creating the rivalry that he has,” he concluded.
Kohli began the five-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy with a century (100*) in the second innings of the opening Test in Perth, but has scored only 62 runs in his other five innings combined so far.
In the Melbourne Test, Australia scored 474 in their first innings and India were 326 for 7 at tea on the third day, still 148 runs behind.