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'Sorry, Don't Ban Me' - Virat Kohli Pleaded Match Referee Over Conflict With Australian Fans

Virat Kohli once had to plead with match referee to reverse a ban back in 2012 (X.com)Virat Kohli once had to plead with match referee to reverse a ban back in 2012 (X.com)

Virat Kohli, known for his aggressive demeanour and passion on the cricket field, once recalled an incident from the 2012 Australia tour when he pleaded with the match referee not to ban him after he showed a middle finger to a group of Australian fans at SCG.

Virat Kohli is synonymous with aggression, and a young Kohli was unapologetically fierce on the field. 

His confrontations, sledging, and fights with players, especially Aussies, and umpires alike earned him the bad boy image.

However, Kohli never took the criticism to heart and was advised against toning down his aggression, as that emotion of passion fuelled him to play at his full potential on the field.

When Virat Kohli was pulled up for showing middle finger to Aussie crowd!

Interestingly, during the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in 2012, Kohli was stationed near the boundary when he faced relentless heckling from a section of Australian fans. 

The crowd had been taunting him with unsavoury remarks, trying to get under his skin. Frustrated by the constant abuse, a young and fiery Kohli, unable to contain his emotions, responded by raising his middle finger towards the spectators. He said:

“Yeah, the one thing I remember most is when I'd had enough of the Australian crowd at Sydney and I just decided to flick a finger at them. 'I'm so cool."


"The match referee called me to his room the next day and I'm like, 'What's wrong?'. He said, 'What happened at the boundary yesterday?'. I said, 'Nothing, it was a bit of banter'," Kohli told Wisden.

He was later held accountable by match referee Ranjan Madugalle. While Virat Kohli tried to initially play down the incident as banter, Ranjan pulled up an Australian newspaper with a picture of him flicking his middle finger printed on the front page. He added:

“Then he threw the newspaper in front of me and there was this big image of me flicking on the front page and I said, 'I'm so sorry, please don't ban me."

Kohli immediately apologised and pleaded against a ban. Considering his age and youth fire, Madugalle advised Virat Kohli to accept the charges of unsportsmanlike behaviour and get away with a 50% match fee fine.