Virat Kohli was met by boos as he walked off the MCG on Thursday afternoon.
The Indian cricket great has been embroiled in plenty of controversy this week, notably clashing with a journalist upon his arrival in Melbourne, before being handed a sanction by the ICC for shoulder-bumping Aussie debutant Sam Konstas.
Things turned from bad to worse for Kohli on Thursday with the ex-captain struggling to score runs as his side chased a 475-run target. Scott Boland steamed in to dismiss both Yashavsi Jaiswal and Kohli in quick succession, with the 36-year-old walking from the crease having scored a paltry 36 runs, by his epic standards.
Kohli, who was fined 20 per cent of his match fee and handed a demerit point for his bump on Konstas, walked down the MCG tunnel toward the changing rooms, but he appeared to become incensed by something said to him by a fan.
He had walked under the covers of the tunnel, before making a U-turn to walk back out to where fans were leaning over the walls of the tunnel.
The India star stopped and turned to stare down a fan before he was ushered back into the tunnel by a member of the ICC.
Virat Kohli was involved in a stare-off with fans at the MCG on Friday afternoon after being dismissed by Scott Boland
The India star had been seen walking back down the tunnel, before turning back after he had appeared to be heckled by a fan stood next to the tunnel’s wall
It is unclear what had been said to provoke Kohli, who did not appear to say anything back to the fans.
With Australia and India level in the series, things have been heating up in the past week, with Kohli at the centre of much of the drama.
His bump on Konstas was branded ‘unnecessary’ by Indian cricket great Ravi Shastri on Thursday, while Ricky Ponting claimed that Kohli had been lucky not to be suspended following the incident with Konstas.
‘Personally, I do not think it was harsh enough. I know there are precedents – they have generally been between a 15 and 25 per cent fine but let us have a think about the enormity of yesterday,’ he said on Channel 7.
‘It is probably the most-watched day of cricket all year all around the world. Imagine if that happens in a grade game on the weekend now, what is going to happen there? I think people are going to think that that is almost acceptable now.
‘And unfortunately for someone like Virat, as we got told as players and as senior players, sometimes the scale of punishment is just different for some people. He is a role model, he is somebody the cricketing world looks up to, so I personally do not think that the fine was harsh enough.’
A pitch invader had also ran onto the MCG turf on Friday and had attempted to give Kohli a hug during the first day of the Test.
India would finish day two having made 164 runs for five wickets and trail the hosts by 310 runs, heading into the third day.
A pitch invader had also ran onto the MCG turf on Friday and had attempted to give Kohli a hug during the first day of the Test
The moment 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 was dismissed for 36 runs on Friday with India now trailing Australia by 310 runs
Pat Cummins enjoyed an excellent morning with the ball, dismissing all three of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Jaiswal for 153 runs.
Pressure is now also mounting on Sharma after he moved himself back to the top of the order.
Sharma was dismissed for just three, after attempting to pull a delivery from Cummins, instead flying it straight into the air and into the hands of fellow Aussie bowler Boland.
‘That is a really big mistake – it’s a nothing shot,’ Michael Vaughan said on Fox Cricket.
‘He is just too early in the innings and hasn’t got used to the pace and bounce.
‘It’s a sad state for the Indian captain, averaging 11 in his past 14 Test innings.’
Boland, on home turf at the MCG, would step up to take the wickets of Kohli and Akash Deep, to put Australia in a commanding position ahead of the third day.
