Virat Kohli, India’s middle order batsman has been fined 50% of the match fees for showing his middle finger to the crowd on the second day of the second test match at Sydney Cricket Ground. The player and the manager of the team were summoned by the match referee and the player admitted his guilt there.
The minimum punishment of this type of offense is 50% and maximum is suspension of one test match. In this case, Virat Kohli was given the minimum level of suspension. Virat Kohli showed his middle finger to the Australian crowd when the Aussies were piling up runs and Indians were fielding at the ropes.
As per ICC’s code of conduct, this offense has been described as “using language or gesture(s) that is seriously obscene, seriously offensive and of a seriously insulting nature to another player, player support personnel, umpire, match referee or any other third person during an international match.”
In his tweeter, Virat Kohli has mentioned that he knows that a cricketer must behave well on the ground, but it became difficult for him to control his emotions when abusive words were used against his mother and sister. Australian crowd must also know how to behave on the ground, he tweeted.
During the last tour of 2007-08, the monkeygate issue during the Test series raised a diplomatic war between the two nations.
