DRS controversy: Virat Kohli and co escape fine for mic outburst

DRS outburst: The International Cricket Council has not filed any charge against Indian players.
DRS outburst: The International Cricket Council has not filed any charge against Indian players.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has not filed any charge against Indian skipper Virat Kohli and his teammates despite their outburst in the ground which was recorded on the stump microphone.

The Indian players had got angry when South African captain Dean Elgar survived a review after being given out leg before wicket at a crucial stage during the third day of the Cape Town Test.

Virat Kohli and other players have been spoken to about the DRS bust-up on the third day of the Newlands Test by the ICC match officials, although no formal charge has been filed against any player, according to a report published on ESPNcricinfo.

The ICC’s match officials had a word with the Indian team management cautioning them about their conduct after DRS had reprieved Dean Elgar from being given out lbw, but there was no official code of conduct breach charge levelled against India, believed the publication.

In the post-match press conference after losing the series 2-1, Kohli said he didn’t think his team got carried away and ceded any advantage to the South Africans.

“We understood what happened on the field, and people on the outside don’t know exact details of what goes on in the field, so for me to try and justify what we did on the field and say we got carried away is wrong,” Kohli said.

“If we had gotten charged up and picked up three wickets there, that would have probably been the moment that changed the game. The reality of the situation is that we did not apply enough pressure on them for longer periods of time throughout the course of the Test match and hence we lost the game. That one moment seems very nice and very exciting to make a controversy out of, which honestly I’m not interested in making a controversy of it at all. It was just a moment that passed and we moved on from it, and just kept focusing on the game and trying to pick up wickets.”

What did Virat Kohli and other players do?

India’s cricketers reacted with dismay and anger when a decision against Dean Elgar was overturned on review on the third day of the match.

Television viewers heard several players complaining within range of the stump microphone after what seemed a straightforward leg before wicket decision was reversed.

A still picture of the moment of impact showed the ball from off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin hitting Elgar below the knee roll of his front pad, in line with the stumps.

He had, however, pushed forward and was well outside the batting crease. The ball tracking technology showed it was bouncing just above the stumps.

Virat Kohli went up to the stump microphone at the end of the over and reportedly shouted: “Focus on your team while they shine the ball. Not just the opposition. Trying to catch the opposition all the time.”

The relevance to the decision was not obvious but Kohli was probably referring to the “Sandpapergate” controversy when host broadcaster SuperSport’s cameras caught Australia’s Cameron Bancroft using sandpaper on the ball during a Test at Newlands in 2018.

Indian vice-captain KL Rahul and Ashwin both appeared to accuse SuperSport of influencing the ball-tracking device.

Rahul was heard to say, “The whole country is playing against 11 guys.”

Ashwin, who had celebrated what he thought was a vital breakthrough, said, “You should find better ways to win, SuperSport.”

The reaction of Indian cricketers was criticized by the fans and players asking them to control their anger.

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