Aussie newspaper brutally mocks Virat Kohli with its back page branding the India great ‘Clown Kohli’

The West Australian brutally mocked Virat Kohli on Friday morning, branding the India cricket great ‘Clown Kohli’ in the wake of his bump on debutant Sam Konstas on Boxing Day.

Kohli accepted that his shoulder bump on the 19-year-old opening batsman breached the ICC’s Code of Conduct relating to ‘inappropriate physical contact with another player’.

His sanction had left many outraged, though, with the 36-year-old being fined 20 per cent of his match fee, while also being handed one demerit point. Some thought it was too lenient, with many believing that the sanction should have been upgraded to a Level Two offence that would have copped Kohli either three or four demerit points, which would have likely resulted in a suspension for the New Year’s Test in Sydney.

The dramatic moment was slammed by many commentators, including former Australian captain Ricky Ponting and ex-India star Ravi Shastri – who branded the moment ‘totally unnecessary’.

Kohli is yet to speak out on the matter. Konstas appeared to shrug the moment off, before going on to hit 60 runs off 65 deliveries in what was an epic opening innings in which he ramped Jasprit Bumrah twice.

On Friday morning, The West Australian ran the story on their back page with the headline ‘Clown Kohli’.

Kohli had also been seen staring down a fan after he was dismissed on day two of the Boxing Day Test 

The newspaper printed a headshot of the former India captain but had superimposed a red clown’s nose onto Kohli’s face.

Below that, the paper had also printed a shot of Kohli making contact with Konstas with his shoulder on the wicket.

The sub-heading of the article, which was written by the Chief of Sports Staff at the outlet, read: ‘Indian sook SLAMMED for pathetic bump in teen’s dream Test debut’.

It is not the first time that The West Australian has scathingly hit out at a touring cricketer. In 2023, The West Australian also appeared to call Ben Stokes a baby. They had photoshopped the England Test captain wearing a nappy and sucking on a dummy, as he lay next to a cricket ball and the Ashes urn.

It came in the wake of the explosive second Ashes Test at Lords, in which Jonny Bairstow was controversially stumped by Alex Carey, leading to a huge fallout both on and off the pitch.

The Aussie newspaper called England ‘crybabies’ adding two sub headings to the page: ‘Poms take whingeing to new level with “cheating” drivel’.

Kohli, who had clashed with reporters at Melbourne airport earlier in the week, vented his fury at fans as he walked towards the changing rooms at the MCG after being dismissed by Scott Boland and Alex Carey for 36 runs.

A video surfaced online showing the India captain appearing to become incensed by a member of the crowd, walking down the tunnel before returning to hold a long gaze with one fan.

Ben Stokes previously hit back at The West Australian after they branded England ‘crybabies’

The moment Kohli (left) slams his shoulder into Sam Konstas (right) as the 19-year-old raced to a stunning 60 on debut in the Boxing Day Test 

It was a disappointing day for Kohli who was dismissed by Scott Boland for 36 runs

With the series level at 1-1, Australia enjoyed a fine start to the fourth Test, with Pat Cummins’ side stepping into the middle of the MCG to bat first.

Steve Smith followed up his ton in Brisbane with another big score of 140 from 197 deliveries, while Marnus Labuschagne improved on his recent run tallies to hit 72 from 145.

India would come to the crease on day two of the Boxing Day Test, with Yashavsi Jaiswal being run out for 82, while KL Rahul was bowled by Pat Cummins for 24.

With Australia setting a first-innings score of 474, India could only manage 164-5 when officials called stumps on day two.