If there was any player who closely watched the entire incident between Virat Kohli and Sam Konstas in the morning session of Day 1, it was Usman Khawaja. Khawaja was Konstas' opening partner and was batting alongside him when the whole controversy happened.
Both Kohli and Konstas exchanged some verbal exchanges with each other while Khawaja stepped in to calm the players down. Even the on-field referee had to intervene to make sure everything was okay between the players.
The players moved away from each other while Constas continued on his merry way. After the end of today's play, Usman Khawaja opened up about the entire incident that happened in front of him and revealed his role in the entire controversy.
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Usman Khawaja breaks his silence on the Virat Kohli-Sam Konstas fight
After stumping on the first day, Usman Khawaja spoke to ABC Sport and revealed from his perspective the entire incident that happened on the field between Sam Konstas and Virat Kohli. Al Khawaja claims he did not look at the first instance but saw both players colliding with each other when he looked back.
“At that moment, I didn't see what happened. It was like I was walking in the other direction. Then I said: 'Wow.' I looked back and saw that when I turned around, I saw them colliding and I wondered: What's going on here?” Al-Khawaja said. But yeah, that wasn't the case.”
“Sammy (Sam Konstas) was going, and he was on fire. Obviously his pills were burning. I just came to defuse the situation because I was loving the vibes. You know, there was a bit of a back-and-forth between Sam and (Jasprit) Bumrah and Virat (Kohli) throughout “Time, but I didn't want to be tainted by any physical contact.”
🏏 “Come on guys, you don't need to know everything!” 😅
Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja talks about the 'chirp' between debutant Sam Konstas with Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. 👀
📱📻 Listed in tree trunks: https://t.co/FZvwdb0wNC
📰 Read more: https://t.co/WBsH3DcD4k #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/tHsbrwZe3k– ABC Sport (@abcsport) December 26, 2024
Usman Khawaja reveals his conversation with Virat Kohli
Speaking further on this topic, Usman Khawaja revealed that he asked Sam Constas to go and bat and leave him to handle the whole situation. When asked about his conversation with Virat Kohli, Khawaja refused to respond and made it clear that such matters should be kept on the field.
Usman Khawaja in the case of Constas v. Firat
“I've known Virat for a long time, he came to the academy when I was 19. I've known him for a long time. We've been colleagues for a long time, so I said (to Sam) 'Calm down, calm down, go, I'll talk to him and I'll sort this out.'” “@abcsport #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/ssmm3AFaMT
– Ben Cameron (@BenCameron23) December 26, 2024
“I've known Virat for a long time, he came to the academy when I was in the U-19 team. I've known him for a long time. We've been teammates for a long time, so I said (to Sam) 'Calm down, calm down, go batting, I'll talk,'” Khawaja explained. “With him I would sort this out and yes, it was fine.”
“Something like that, yeah. You don't even know everything. You guys do, seriously! What happens on the field stays on the field,” Khawaja replied when asked about his conversation with Kohli.
Sam Konstas shines in his debut
Meanwhile, it was an impressive start for Sam Konstas who showed off his attacking style and shot the ball all over the ground. Konstas was particularly tough on Indian bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and overpowered him.
The youngster did not let Bumrah settle into the rhythm in his opening spell which set the tone for the rest of the innings. He played some unorthodox shots like scoops and reverse scoops to disrupt the pace of the bowlers and proved successful as well.
Konstas scored a quick 60 off 65 balls while opening the batting. He hit 6 fours and sixes during his knock. He forged an important 89-run partnership for the opening wicket with Usman Khawaja to give Australia a strong start.