India's batting maestro Virat Kohli was heckled by a section of Australian fans during the second day of the ongoing fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Kohli's 'shoulder-bump' incident with Sam Konstas on the previous day seemingly fueled the hostile reception from the Australian crowd.
MCG CEO comes up with a statement on Virat Kohli's heckling incident
Now, the Melbourne Cricket Club CEO Stuart Fox has come up with a statement on the incident involving Kohli getting heckled and booed by the crowd present at the stand. Fox has confirmed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not filed any official complaint following the incident.
Kohli faced a barrage of boos and jeers as he walked back to the dressing room following his dismissal in the Boxing Day Test. The intense jeering visibly agitated Kohli, prompting him to turn around and engage in a brief verbal altercation with the heckling fans.
Following a hostile reception from the crowd upon his arrival at the crease, Kohli appeared determined to silence the critics with a strong performance. However, a horrible mix-up with his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal resulted in an unfortunate run-out of the star southpaw. The turn of events ultimately led to Kohli's own dismissal shortly thereafter as he returned to the pavilion after scoring just 36.
Meanwhile, MCG CEO has confirmed that there has been no official complaint from India so far. Later he also ensured that he will make sure everyone is well-behaved.
"You're never comfortable when you've got fans heavily engaging with the player. 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," Fox said while speaking to SEN Radio.
"I think a bit of heckling happened late and Kohli popped his head back. I'll be concerned if it was abusive and (there is) any physical contact or abuse that is pushing the boundary. That's where we are always making sure everyone is well-behaved," Fox said.
Virat Kohli's on-field conduct has been a major point of discussion throughout the fourth Test. On the opening day, he engaged in a physical altercation with 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas, resulting in a 'shoulder-barge' that led to a fine and a demerit point. Kohli was thus fined 20 per cent of his match fee and was also handed a demerit point.