Virat Kohli was greeted with boos as he left the MCG on Thursday afternoon.
The Indian cricket great has been embroiled in much controversy this week, notably a confrontation with a journalist upon his arrival in Melbourne, before receiving an ICC ban for punching the shoulder of Australian debutant Sam Konstas.
Things went from bad to worse for Kohli on Thursday as the former captain struggled to score runs as his team chased a target of 475 runs. Scott Boland stepped in to dismiss Yashavsi Jaiswal and Kohli in quick succession, and the 36-year-old emerged from the crease having scored a whopping 36 runs, by his epic standards.
Kohli, who was fined 20 per cent of his match fee and given a demerit point for his hit on Konstas, walked down the MCG tunnel towards the dressing room but appeared to become outraged by something a fan said to him.
He had walked under the tunnel covers, before making a U-turn to return to where the fans were leaning on the tunnel walls.
The India star stopped and turned to look at a fan before an ICC member led him back into the tunnel.
Virat Kohli was involved in a stare-down with fans at the MCG on Friday afternoon after being dismissed by Scott Boland.
The India star had been seen walking back through the tunnel, before turning around after a fan standing by the tunnel wall appeared to interrupt him.
It is unclear what was said to provoke Kohli, who did not appear to respond at all to the fans.
With Australia and India tied in the series, things have heated up in the past week, with Kohli at the center of much of the drama.
His hit on Konstas was branded “unnecessary” by Indian cricket great Ravi Shastri on Thursday, while Ricky Ponting claimed Kohli had been lucky not to be suspended following the incident with Konstas.
‘Personally, I don’t think it was tough enough. “I know there are precedents: in general they have been fines of between 15 and 25 percent, but let’s think about the enormity of yesterday,” he said on Channel 7.
‘It’s probably the most watched cricket day of the year around the world. Imagine if that happens now in a grade game on the weekend, what’s going to happen there? I think people are going to think that’s almost acceptable now.
“And unfortunately for someone like Virat, as we were told as players and as senior players, sometimes the scale of punishment is different for some people. “He is a role model, he is someone who the cricket world looks up to, so I personally don’t I think the fine was harsh enough.’
A pitch invader also ran onto the MCG lawn on Friday and tried to give Kohli a hug during the first day of the Test.
India would end the second day with 164 runs for five wickets and would trail the hosts by 310 runs, heading into the third day.
A pitch invader also ran onto the MCG lawn on Friday and tried to give Kohli a hug during the first day of the Test.
The moment Kohli (left) shoulder-bumps Sam Konstas (right) as the 19-year-old raced to an impressive 60 on his Boxing Day Test debut.
Kohli was dismissed for 36 runs on Friday and India now trail Australia by 310 runs.
Pat Cummins enjoyed an excellent morning with the ball, dismissing the three of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Jaiswal for 153 runs.
Pressure is now also mounting on Sharma after he returned to the top of the order.
Sharma was dismissed for just three, after attempting to play a Cummins delivery, instead flying it straight into the air into the hands of fellow Australian bowler Boland.
“That’s a really big mistake – it’s not a chance,” Michael Vaughan said on Fox Cricket.
‘He just comes too early in the innings and hasn’t gotten used to the pace and the bounce.
“It’s a sad state of affairs for the Indian captain, averaging 11 in his last 14 Test innings.”
Boland, at home at the MCG, would step up to take the wickets of Kohli and Akash Deep, to put Australia in a commanding position ahead of the third day.