Virat Kohli and umpire Nitin Menon during ay 3 of the 2nd Test (Screenshot) Virat Kohli’s confrontation with umpire Nitin Menon on the third evening of the 2nd Test vs England in Chennai has been criticised by former England players like Michael Vaughan, who said that it was conduct unbecoming of a captain.
The incident happened on Monday, as India reviewed a not-out decision against Joe Root in the final over of the day. Kohli reacted furiously when his opposite number was reprieved on umpire’s call. Replays showed that the point of impact was umpire’s call, thus saving Root.
Virat kohli angry on umpire#INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/kToF4QBg8x
— Ashish Yadav (@ashishcricket24) February 15, 2021
Michael Vaughan, working for the BBC’s Test Match Social, said: “You can’t have this, I’m sorry. Kohli is such a powerhouse, you can’t have him intimidating the umpire. It’s a stinker of a decision but you can’t be doing that as a captain.”
Former England captain Nasser Hussain said: “It was odd that the India team and their captain took the full 15 seconds to work out whether to review or not. They weren’t actually sure what they were reviewing for. If they were so certain that it was out and should have been given straight away, why did it take them so long?
“Kohli pushes the line with umpires and officials. Joe Root went up and asked in a very smiley sort of way about a review earlier in the game, but Kohli is a lot more animated when he speaks to them — which doesn’t look good.”
David Lloyd added: “He cannot be speaking to umpires like that and inciting the crowd. He should be setting a much better example. Someone in his camp should be having a word and the match referee should be very interested. It’s calculated and it’s not a good look.”