'Half of them are Kohli haters': Ricky Ponting’s past drama shadows his critique of Virat Kohli

Sam Konstas (L) chats with India`s Virat Kohli (R) on day one of the fourth Test (Pic: AFP)

Virat Kohli was called out by some of the game's greats on Thursday after appearing to deliberately bump shoulders with young Australian batsman Sam Konstas in the fourth Test.

The Indian veteran made forceful contact with the 19-year-old debutant after Konstas belted the bowlers around the Melbourne Cricket Ground on his way to a blistering 60 off 65 balls. It sparked a heated exchange between the pair in the first session, with Konstas' fellow opener Usman Khawaja and umpire Michael Gough intervening.

"Virat walked one whole pitch over to his right and instigated that confrontation," Ricky Ponting said on Australia's Channel Seven. "No doubt in my mind whatsoever. "I have no doubt that the umpires and the referee will have a good look at that." Former India coach Ravi Shastri called Kohli's actions "absolutely unnecessary".

"Virat's a senior player, he's been captain... he'll have his own explanations with regards to that, but it's one thing you don't want to see," he said on Fox Sports. "One person who will be watching, his eyes locked into the proceedings, is (match referee) Andy Pycroft."

Konstas, called into the side after Nathan McSweeney was axed, played down the incident in a post-match news conference. "I was just doing my gloves and I think he accidentally bumped me. But that's just cricket, the tension," said the teenager, Australia's youngest-ever opener.

However, Indian fans quickly called out Ponting's hypocrisy, as an old video resurfaced online, showing the former Australian captain provoking a confrontation with Harbhajan Singh in a similar fashion.

In a 1998 India-Australia ODI in Sharjah, Ponting attempted to sledge and mock 19-year-old Harbhajan after the spinner dismissed him.

Later during the day, Kohli was fined 20 per cent of his match fee and given a demerit point, despite it being deemed an accidental shoulder bump by the 19-year-old debutant.