"Virat Kohli was brutally insulted by Sam Konstas" - Friend reveals inside details of shoulder bump

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25 delivered many fiery moments, but nothing came close to the controversy that erupted when Indian batting icon Virat Kohli and Australia’s young sensation Sam Konstas ran into each other during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne last December.

The drama unfolded during Australia’s innings when both players were crossing the pitch. As they moved past each other, Kohli and the 19-year-old Konstas collided shoulders. Both turned around sharply, locked eyes, and marched back toward each other as heated words were exchanged.

When the Boxing Day Test turned fiery after the Virat Kohli-Sam Konstas incident

Before the situation got out of hand, Usman Khawaja rushed in to calm his teammate, while the umpire stepped between the two to separate them at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The clash instantly became the biggest talking point of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25.

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Fans were stunned to see the teenager stand up to one of the world’s most intense competitors, and the moment added fuel to an already high-pressure Test at the MCG. But the young Australian had already made his presence felt long before the shoulder bump.

Making his debut in the iconic Boxing Day Test at the MCG, Konstas shocked India with a fearless display. He reverse-swept, paddle-swept, and smashed his way to a sensational fifty on debut, leaving Indian bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, scrambling for answers.

Friend reveals what Sam Konstas told Virat Kohli during fiery face-off at MCG

Virat Kohli tried to unsettle the newcomer with classic mind games, adding another chapter to the long and intense India-Australia rivalry. Now, Oliver Peake, who is Sam Konstas’ close friend and the one carrying drinks that day, revealed what the youngster had fired back at Kohli during the heated moment at the MCG.

Oliver Peake said on The Grade Cricketer Podcast: “I remember running him gloves, and him and Uzie out there was pretty cool. Uzie was a bit taken aback by the way he was going about it. He just looked so in the zone and so confident that he was looking fine out there. It was great to watch as a fan and also as a mate. When Kohli shoulder-charged him, Sam said, 'I know you're a good player, but have some respect’.”

I know you're a good player, but... pic.twitter.com/jSDVzRk8vS

— The Grade Cricketer (@gradecricketer) November 20, 2025

No, I have no regrets: Sam Konstas

Looking back at the moment, Konstas had recently said that he felt it was special and even admitted he had replayed it many times with pride. He had told 7NEWS, “No, I have no regrets. I like to live by that, and it was so special. I've watched it so many times, I'm not going to lie.”

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Well, Virat Kohli’s heated clash with Konstas during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 led to action from the match officials. Kohli was fined 20 percent of his match fee and received one demerit point for the incident.

While many former cricketers felt Virat Kohli might even get suspended because the moment looked like a breach of Level 2, the match officials treated it as a Level 1 offense.

A Level 2 charge would have given Kohli three to four demerit points, and four points mean an automatic one-Test ban. Since he only got a single point, Kohli avoided suspension.