By Karan Agrawal 
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has expressed his unhappiness over Virat Kohli’s actions during the fifth and final Test against Australia where the stand-in skipper was seen having a go at the Aussie fans during India’s second innings bowling.
Virat who was known for his aggressive captaincy during his tenure as India’s Test captain recreated the infamous Sandpaper Gate incident which took place during Australia’s tour of South Africa in 2018 which saw three Australian players getting banned.
The Reaction
Reacting to Kohli’s interactions with fans, Gavaskar said that Kohli’s actions put pressure on his teammates, who are targeted by Australian fans as a consequence of what Virat does on the field. “Kohli must understand that whatever he does to react to the crowd actually puts more pressure on his teammates, who also then become targets of the spectators,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald.
The Actions
Many of Kohli’s actions provoked the Australian fans and media but the one that stood out was when he gave a shoulder bump to 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas on day one of the Boxing Day Test which many believed was the reaction to Konsta’s aggressive batting against Jasprit Bumrah in the first hour of play itself.
Gentleman’s Game?
Reacting to the incident Gavaskar said that Kohli shouldn’t have done that. In the words of Gavaskar”What Kohli did with the shoulder bump is simply not cricket. Indians are not shy to retaliate if provoked, but here the provocation was simply not there. The one thing that players learn with experience is that it’s futile to try and get back at the crowds, who have come to have a good time, so booing players is never personal but just a way to entertain themselves. To react to that doesn’t do the player any good, and in fact, does more harm,” he added.
The Form
The legendary Indian bater has also raised concern over the poor form of two senior batters in the team Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The former and current Indian captain had a below-average tour of Australia. Virat Kohli could score only one 50-plus score in the 10 innings in which he batted, while captain Rohit Sharma seemed like a walking wicket and could not score a single half-century in six innings of the three matches he played on the tour.
The Concern
According to Gavaskar “With his continued failures to avoid nibbling at the deliveries around the off-stump, he failed to make the contribution that could have boosted the total. The skipper, Rohit Sharma, was out of his depth, and having taken the brave decision to step aside, because of his form, he has also raised big questions about his future in Test cricket,” he added.