Cricket fans on social media have lashed out at Ricky Ponting after the Channel 7 commentator rose to the defence of Sam Konstas on Boxing Day.
The 19-year-old dazzled fans at the MCG on his Test debut, ramping Jasprit Bumrah twice – with one of his strikes going for six – before he went on to hit 60 runs from 65 balls before being dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja.
It was a sensational start to life in the Aussie Test squad, but there was a flash point in the opening day of the fourth Test.
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli had appeared to shoulder charge the young New South Wales batsman.
Fans inside the MCG were in uproar at the incident with Kohli, 36, exchanging some tense words with the young New South Wales batter in the middle of the wicket.
Kohli has since been charged by ICC over the incident having breached Level One of the ICC’s code of conduct.
Article 2.12 of the code relates to ‘inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator during an International Match).’
Ricky Ponting has been criticised by some fans online for a double standard following Sam Konstas’ tense face-off with Virat Kohli
The moment Virat Kohli (left) slams his shoulder into Sam Konstas (right) as the 19-year-old raced to a stunning 60 on debut in the Boxing Day Test
Kohli (second from right) had been seen walking towards Konstas before the shoulder charge happened
Kohli will donate 20 per cent of his match fee and will be handed one demerit point. He will avoid a more lenient sanction of a match ban.
‘Kohli admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft… so there was no need for a formal hearing,’ the ICC said in a statement on Thursday night.
‘The incident occurred at the end of the 10th over of Australia’s innings when Kohli walked up to batter Sam Konstas and negligently bumped his shoulder with the batter inappropriately.’
Konstas had appeared to put the incident behind him after the game, telling Channel 7: ‘I think the emotions got to both of us.
‘I didn’t quite realise, I was doing my gloves, then a little shoulder charge, but it happens in cricket.’
But both Ricky Ponting and Ravi Shastri claimed during the live broadcast of the match that Kohli was in the wrong for the incident.
‘Virat walked one whole pitch over to his right and instigated that confrontation,’ Ponting said on Channel Seven.
‘No doubt in my mind whatsoever. I have no doubt that the umpires and the referee will have a good look at that. Fielders should be nowhere near the batsman at that stage. Every fieldsman on the ground knows where the batsmen will congregate and get together.
Kohli accepted a sanction by the ICC, and will be docked 20 per cent of his match fee, but is set to escape a ban
Konstas (left) exchanged angry words with Kohli (second from right) after the clash
‘It looked to me that Konstas looked up really late, and wouldn’t even know anyone is in front of him. That man on-screen there (Kohli) might have a few questions to answer.’
Shastri followed Ponting’s comments, stating to SEN: ‘Absolutely unnecessary. I would imagine the match referee will look at it closely.’
Despite Kohli ultimately being sanctioned by the ICC over the matter, some cricket fans took to social media to brand Ponting’s comments a double standard.
They pointed to a moment back in 1998 during a one-day match between India and Australia in Sharjah.
Ponting had been dismissed by 19-year-old spinner Harbhajan Singh, who had celebrated in front of the ex-Aussie captain after he had been stumped, having stepped too far out of his crease.
Ponting reacted furiously to the youngster’s celebrations, appearing to deliver a sledge back to the 19-year-old India star as he walked from the pitch.
Fans took to X to write: ‘Ricky Ponting, who once sledged and mocked a young 19-year-old Singh, now lectures Virat Kohli on morality and sportsmanship. Oh, the irony!’
‘Ponting giving a morality lecture is like a cat teaching table manners,’ one fan wrote.
Fans pointed to a moment back in 1998 where Ponting (left) had appeared to issue a big sledge to young Harbhajan Singh
Some cricket fans criticised Ponting for his comments hitting out at Kohli after his spat with Singh, claiming it was a double standard
‘Ricky Ponting, the Australian legend, offering words of encouragement to a 19-year-old Harbhajan Singh,’ one fan wrote. ‘Today when Kohli did it, everyone started crying including our own people. Hypocrites, why do we always like to get bullied?’
Another X user wrote: ‘I don’t support what Virat Kohli did with 19 year old debutant, but Ricky Ponting should be the last person talking about Moral Policing.’
Ponting reflects on his hilarious first meeting with Konstas
Despite the altercation with Kohli, which could add an extra edge to the rest of the Border-Gavaskar series, Konstas enjoyed an excellent opening day on his Test debut.
The 19-year-old oozed confidence and looked at home as he stepped out in front of 90,000 fans at a packed MCG to open the batting alongside Usman Khawaja.
Ponting also shared a humorous story about the youngster ahead of a Big Bash meeting in recent weeks.
Konstas is currently opening alongside David Warner for the Thunder and has enjoyed a decent vein of form with the 20-over side, despite getting out for a duck in their recent derby match against the Sixers. Prior to that Konstas had hit 56 against the Strikers.
‘I had a conversation with Sam Konstas before his first BBL game about a week ago,’ Ponting said to Channel 7, speaking on his first meeting with Konstas, who has been opening the batting alongside David Warner for Sydney Thunder.
‘I picked up then how confident he was in his own ability. And I asked him: “Sam are you actually playing tonight, mate?”
Konstas (pictured) received the backing of multiple pundits including Ponting and Alyssa Healy
Kohli could have been handed a much more severe penalty if his bump had been deemed to be over the threshold for a Level Two offence
‘I hadn’t met him before so I went out of my way to go and meet him. He looked at me and said: “Yeah, they should have played me last year!”
‘He said: “What have you got coming up after this?”
‘I said: “Well, I’ve got IPL coming up in the middle of March.”
‘He said: “Well, you’ll have to give me the option next year then, won’t you!”
‘The third question he asked me then was: “What’s coming up after that?”
Ponting then replied to Konstas: ‘If Australia make the World Test Championship Final I’ll be in the UK commentating on that.
‘He [Konstas] said: “Well, I’ll be in the team by then, so I’ll catch up with you over there as well!”
Australia finished day one of the fourth Test on 311-6, with Steve Smith (68) and Pat Cummins (8) set to return to the crease on Friday morning at the MCG.