Published: Sep 23, 2019, 08:09 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 23, 2019, 08:10 PM (IST)
India captain Virat Kohli has received a demerit point and an official warning for a shoulder contact with South Africa pacer Beuran Hendricks during the third T20I in Bangalore, which the deemed “inappropriate”. As per the ICC, Kohli was found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct.
ALSO READ: We will have to take risks – Kohli
The charged were levelled by on-field umpires Nitin Menon and CK Nandan, third umpire Anil Chaudhary and fourth official Chettihody Shamshuddin.
“Kohli was found to have breached Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which 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’,” the ICC said in a statement.
ALSO READ: Kohli defends decision to bat first
The incident occurred in the fourth ball the fifth over of India’s innings when Kohli pulled a delivery towards deep midwicket and rubbed his shoulder against Hendricks’ right. This is Kohli. The offence is Kohli’s third since the introduction of the ICC’s revised code in September 2016. This is his third demerit point after getting one during the Centurion Test in South Africa last year in January and later during the World Cup match against Afghanistan.
“Kohli admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, and as such, there was no need for a formal hearing,” the ICC said.
In Centurion, Kohli was fined 25 percent of his match fee for his behaviour with on-filed umpire Michael Gough on Day 3 and was subsequently reprimanded. Back then, as per the ICC, Kohli threw the ball on the ground aggressively after complaining to Gough about the damp state of the ball. Fast forward to June, Kohli was penalised for “excessive appealing and charging aggressively” towards umpire Aleem Dar, while again receiving a 25 percent fine.
Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points. When a player reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points and a player is banned.
Two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player. Demerit points will remain on a player or player support personnel’s disciplinary record for a period of 24 months from their imposition, following which they will be expunged.
