Virat Kohli encountered significant scrutiny from the Australian media following an incident involving a shoulder bump with 19-year-old Australian debutant, Sam Konstas, during the Boxing Day Test on Thursday. The esteemed Indian cricketer was penalized with a fine amounting to 20 percent of his match fees for this occurrence, although numerous Australian media outlets, along with former cricketers such as Ricky Ponting, advocated for a more severe sanction.

In the lead-up to the Melbourne Test, Kohli was prominently featured in the media, with considerable focus emanating from Australian journalists. At the airport prior to the match, he found himself surrounded by reporters, and the atmosphere became tense when one journalist appeared to attempt to capture a photograph of Kohli with his family.

This incident, along with the confrontation involving debutant Sam Konstas and the extensive media attention directed at Kohli, has elicited a strong reaction from former India head coach Ravi Shastri. Clearly exasperated by the treatment of the Indian icon, Shastri remarked that the Australian media exhibited signs of "desperation."

Shastri posits that the media's reaction would have been less intense had the Australian team been leading the series 3-0 or even 2-0.

“It’s a bit of desperation. You are three Test matches into the series, and the score is 1-1. The Border-Gavaskar trophy is still up for grabs. You are eager to secure a victory in Melbourne. I have visited Australia numerous times, and the entire nation rallies behind the team. It’s not just the crowd; the media

Someone had to be the target

Shastri remarked that the Australian media focused on Virat Kohli and seized the opportunity to criticize him after the shoulder-bumping incident.

"When a team is eager to win, it is rare for a country to visit Australia and secure a series victory for 7-8 years. I understand the underlying reasons; this has been a long-standing issue, and someone had to be singled out. They found their opportunity with the physical altercation that occurred yesterday.

“When the physical contact took place, it was as if they thought, ‘this is our moment to unleash our criticism, to bring out the paintbrush’ and commence their various attacks,” Shastri added.

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON!