Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has backed Virat Kohli, saying that no special favours were done to him in the shoulder-barging incident. Gavaskar said that the Australian media, unhappy with Kohli’s punishment, accused the International Cricket Council (ICC) of being lenient towards him as well. Notably, Kohli was fined 20% of his match fees by the ICC and earned one demerit point. While many were expecting Kohli to face a one-match ban, he was just fined.
“Yes, you would say that the punishment may be light, considering the experience that he has had. But, that’s the maximum punishment that is decided by the ICC. He has not been done any favor,” Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports (via India Today). “If, for example, the fine was 10 percent, then you could have said, ‘Ah, he has been done a favor.’ But, the fine for a Level 1 offence is maximum a 20 percent. I am not 100 percent on that, but I am given to understand that there is one demerit point and a fine. That’s the maximum allowed, that’s what has been levied on him.”
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“No special favors have been done to him. You can’t hang a man for picking someone’s picket. That’s what the Australian media is asking for. The Australian media think they got away because he is Kohli. But, that is not the thing,” he added.
After the controversy, Virat Kohli was also handed a demerit point apart from being fined. Sunil Gavaskar also opined on some past instances,
citing examples of Irish pacer Josh Little and Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah as well. While Little was fined 15% of his match fees for physical contact with Sikandar Raza in a T20I against Zimbabwe, Bumrah was reprimanded for physical contact with Ollie Pope during a Test earlier this year as well.
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“I know in this particular year, there have been four such incidents in which there have been fines. Last December, Ireland bowler Josh Little was fined 15 percent for a physical contact with a batter, a Level 1 offence. In that game, Andy Pycrot was the match referee. Jasprit Bumrah was also reprimanded for Level 1 physical contact for physical contact with England’s Ollie Pope,” Sunil Gavaskar concluded.
