Steven Smith on Virat Kohli’s celebrations in Adelaide: “I don’t think you need to do that kind of thing when someone gets out.” © Getty Images
Australia’s Steven Smith doesn’t think the send-off he got from India’s Virat Kohli, after being dismissed in the first T20 on Tuesday night, has a place on the cricket field. While it’s okay to have a bit of “banter” going around the field, Smith said, the kind of aggression Kohli showed was not needed.
“I don’t think you need to do that kind of thing when someone gets out,” Smith told Fox Sports. “It’s fine to have a little bit of banter when you’re out in the field, but when someone’s out I don’t really think that’s on. He gets pretty emotional out there, doesn’t he?”
Kohli was fielding at cover when he took the catch to dismiss Smith for 21 off Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling in Adelaide and gave the batsman a long, animated send-off. Smith was connected to a microphone at the time and had been conducting an interview with Channel Nine commentators during the over, and Kohli’s gestures seemed to refer to that.
India offspinner R Ashwin played down the incident, saying it was “probably a personal battle” between Kohli and Smith. He also added that Kohli’s competitive streak was beneficial for the Indian dressing room. The India batsman had earlier exchanged words with Australia’s allrounder James Faulkner during the ODI series.
“It’s probably a personal battle between those two of them,” Ashwin said. “I think both of them are very good competitors. They know what they’re doing, they don’t go down without a fight. It’s good to have such competition on the field. Both of them are champion cricketers. I think it just adds to the spice of the game so I don’t mind it at all.”
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya, who made his international debut in Adelaide, received an official reprimand for his celebrations after he dismissed Chris Lynn in the 16th over of Australia’s chase. Pandya’s Level 1 breach of article 2.1.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel relates to: “Using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an International Match”. The incident took place in the 16th over of Australia’s chase.
The charge was leveled by on-field umpires Simon Fry and John Ward, third umpire Paul Wilson and fourth umpire Gerard Abood. Pandya admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Jeff Crowe.
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo