Melbourne [Australia], December 27: Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said that great Indian batsman Virat Kohli’s 20% match fee sanction for a brawl with rookie Sam Konstas “is not harsh enough.”

In Australia, Konstas’ much awaited debut proved to be among the most entertaining in a long time. Virat got into a violent argument with the 19-year-old after running into him and making direct shoulder-to-shoulder contact, in addition to the fact that he scored 34 of his 60 runs against Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah and made headlines by playing with him. The International Cricket Council (ICC) penalized the 36-year-old 20% of his match pay and gave him one penalty point for the confrontation.

Before the match’s second day, Ponting said on 7 Cricket, “I don’t believe the penalty was severe enough, in my opinion. I am aware that comparable violations have resulted in similar-sized fines in the past; they have typically been between 15 and 25 percent, but let’s consider the magnitude of yesterday.”

“Probably the most watched cricket day of the year worldwide is this one. What would happen in a grade game this weekend if that scenario occurred? I believe that people will now consider it to be practically acceptable.

“Unfortunately for someone like Virat, as we were informed as players and as senior players, there are instances where the severity of the penalty is just different for certain individuals. Personally, I don’t believe the sanction was severe enough since he is a role model and someone the cricket community looks up to,” he said.

The punishment was even referred to as a “slap on the wrist” by the former Indian cricket player, who said, “That’s that.” These athletes are professionals who earn a lot of money. Any penalty must serve as a disincentive. Since Kohli is among the best players in the world, I just hope that his accomplishments and energy with the bat would be remembered rather than this.

Australia chose to bat first after winning the toss. Despite India taking some quick wickets, Australia finished the day at 311/6 thanks to half-centuries from Konstas (60 in 65 balls, with six fours and two sixes), Usman Khawaja (57 in 121 balls, with six fours), Marnus Labuschagne (72 in 145 balls, with seven fours), and Steve Smith (68*).