VIDEO | Virat Kohli unnecessarily questions the umpire despite team not having any reviews left

02/14/2018

While showing aggression is fine, Virat Kohli has failed to tone it down sometimes - be it while celebrating a wicket or while arguing with the umpire. Yesterday, after the umpire ruled Hashim Amla not-out, Kohli, despite knowing that the team didn’t have any reviews left, started questioning him.

Kohli’s commitment and the drive to win the matches for India has been exemplary, but the very problem is, sometimes, he doesn’t care about the plain facts and let the emotions get the better of him. It was in full show in the fifth ODI between India and South Africa in Port Elizabeth when Kohli animatedly questioned the umpire’s decision after Hashim Amla was given not-out, albeit when he was caught plumb in front.

On the fourth ball of the 29th over, Yuzvendra Chahal bowled a tossed up delivery on the leg-stump to which Amla failed to sweep and was rapped on the pads. While it seemed that it struck on the leg-stumps, umpire Shaun George turned down the appeal, much to the dismay of the Indian team. However, there was no way left for the team as they had already lost their review when MS Dhoni and Chahal decided to go against David Miller, but the replays suggested that the ball escaped by a whisker.

So, Chahal and Kohli, who were sure that the ball to Amla would have directly hit the stumps first, came forward towards George and asked why Amla was not given out. However, the manner in which the Indian skipper asked that to George showed his over-aggressive demeanour and doesn’t go well with the spirit of the game. That act also made Sunil Gavaskar furious on air and he immediately lashed out at the act by saying “You can’t question an umpiring decision when you don’t have a review left.”

The match officials will be really kind if they impose anything less than a monetary fine on the talismanic Indian batsman.