The back page of the Australian media page, The West Australian, has gone viral, igniting a backlash from Indian fans over its portrayal of Virat Kohli as a clown.
Many fans echoed this sentiment, suggesting that Kohli should have exercised more restraint during the incident. One user on X remarked that the Australian media should have recognized Konstas’s debut rather than mocking Kohli.
The newspaper featured a graphic of Kohli with a clown nose and the headline “Clown Kohli,” which provoked strong reactions from Kohli’s supporters and Indian media.
This comes after a heated incident involving Kohli and Australian debutant Sam Konstas during the Boxing Day Test, although Kohli faced no serious penalties.
Kohli was fined 20% of his match fee and received one demerit point for the clash, classified as a level-one offense by match referee Andy Pycroft. Some cricketing legends, including former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, criticized the leniency of Kohli’s punishment, arguing it could set a concerning precedent.
Ponting stated, “I don’t think it is harsh enough… He is a role model, someone the cricketing world looks up to.”
India’s batting coach Abhishek Nayar claimed he was unaware of the incident during a post-match press conference.
