India captain Kohli fined one demerit point for breaching code of conduct

Centurion - India captain Virat Kohli has been fined 25% of his match fee and one demerit point for consistently complaining to umpires about the state of the ball after the rain delay in the last session of the second Test against South Africa in Centurion on Monday.

The incident happened in the 25th over of SA’s second innings.

Kohli complained to umpire Michael Gough about the ball being affected by a damp outfield following a rain delay. He threw it on the ground in an aggressive manner.

After the day’s play‚ Kohli pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Chris Broad of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and as a result there was no need for a formal hearing.

The charge was leveled by on-field umpires Gough and Paul Reiffel‚ third umpire Richard Kettleborough and fourth umpire Allahudien Palekar.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand‚ a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee and one or two demerit points.