Controversial Indian star Virat Kohli faces fresh drama at the MCG on day two of the Boxing Day Test after a shocking lapse in security led to pitch intruders bursting onto the field and hugging him. caught up in.
The match was briefly suspended on Friday morning after a spectator wearing an Indian shirt rushed onto the field, touched Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma, and appeared furious after nearly colliding with the intruder.
Security eventually caught the man, but Kohli was forced to awkwardly interact with the unwanted fan.
The incident comes after Kohli was branded a villain by Australian and Indian fans after he bumped his shoulder into teenage debutant Sam Constas in an ugly clash between overs on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Steve Smith’s late-career resurgence continues, with the star veteran scoring 34 Test centuries as he powered Australia to 7-454 against a lackluster India at the MCG.
Australia, who started the second day of the Boxing Day Test with 6 wins and 311 losses, added another 1 win and 143 losses on Friday morning to wear down the sloppy tourists on the field.
Photo: Security guard (second from left) arrives too late to prevent pitch intruder (left) from interfering with Indian star Virat Kohli (second from right)
A worrying security lapse allowed intruders to hug Kohli after India’s star was caught up in one of the most controversial moments of the summer so far on Boxing Day.
Kohli was photographed bumping his shoulder into Australian debutant Sam Constas in an ugly clash that saw him branded a villain in Australia and India.
Smith drove four cars for Nitish Kumar midway through the first session of the day, marking a big success in back-to-back tests.
He was bowled out by Akash Deep, but in a strange situation, he lunged at the bowler and scratched the ball, causing the ball to drift backwards and miss one of the bails.
Captain Pat Cummins (49) also added valuable runs, sharing a partnership with Smith for the seventh wicket of 112 runs.
The 35-year-old arrived at the MCG having scored his first Test century since June 2023, when he hit 101 in a rain-abandoned match at the Gabba.
It was Smith’s 11th century against India, adding to his 12 tons of made-in-ash battles.
Smith overtook England star Joe Root (10) to become the most-scored Test century against India.
It was also Smith’s fifth Test century at the MCG, where he has scored 1209 runs at an average of over 86.
The former Australia captain seemed to be on the verge of death in cricket after scoring a combined 19 runs in the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar series.
Kohli touched on another Australian star on Friday, this time celebrating Steve Smith’s (right) century as Pat Cummins looked on.
His drought without a Test century thereby extended to 18 months.
It comes after teenager Sam Constas kicked off his international career with an unforgettable 60 on Thursday, taking on India’s attacking weapon Jasprit Bumrah (3-97). It was.
Bumrah’s 97 runs from 28 overs is the most he has conceded in an innings in his illustrious 44-Test career.
Usman Khawaja, 57, and Marnus Labuschagne, 72, also started, and the last time all four of Australia’s top four players reached 50 in the same innings was in Pakistan in March 2022. This was the first time since the first test.
Cummins won the first toss of the series on Thursday, choosing to bat first to escape the sweltering weather that saw temperatures soar to 39 degrees.
The MCG has become a bowler-friendly venue since Scott Boland’s famous debut against England in 2021.
Only two of the previous three Boxing Day Tests have posted more than 300 tests in total.
Kohli, who Constas has idolized since he was a child, was fined 20 per cent of his match fee for shoulder-bumping the 19-year-old.
Mohammed Siraj, the Indian fast bowler who has become a villain to Australian audiences this summer, has lashed out at Constas on numerous occasions.
“I was just going into the contest and trying to be the best version of myself, no matter who I was playing against,” Constas said.
“Obviously it got a little hot at times, but that was good for me.
“Feel it brings out the best in you. Hopefully the next innings will be better.”
