Recent instances of Indian players getting into heated altercations with Sri Lankan players in the ongoing Test series show how seriously players take the sport. While cricket is a gentleman’s game, several instances have seen Indian players get into physical altercations with opposition players.
Some turned into cricket history’s most memorable moments, while others led to fines and suspensions. Here are three noteworthy incidents in which Indian players and opponent players got into physical altercations.
Here are the 3 instances when Indian players had physical altercations with opposition players:
3. Gautam Gambhir vs. Kamran Akmal
India’s Gautam Gambhir and Pakistan’s Kamran Akmal got into a heated altercation and almost came to blows during a 2010 Asia Cup game. This game was played in Dambulla in Sri Lanka, and Pakistan posted 267 runs. In response, Gambhir made 83, and contributions from MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina took India to a three-wicket win.
During the Indian innings, Akmal appealed energetically when Gambhir tried to play a ball and missed it. Gambhir told Akmal to stop appealing and got into a face-to-face argument during the drinks break that followed. The argument continued on and only stopped when MS Dhoni took Gambhir away, and officials separated the two warring players.
2. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi vs Vishen Halambage
During the recent A team one-day series in Sri Lanka, India A’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sri Lanka A’s Vishen Halambage got into a physical altercation in a Super Over finish. India failed to overhaul the 17-run target in the Super Over, and Halambage and Wanuja Sahan made some remarks at Sooryavanshi and Suryansh Shedge.
This resulted in Shedge pointing his bat at the Sri Lankan players before Sooryavanshi and Halambage were then seen shoving each other and Dickwella separating the two. Sooryavanshi was seething with rage as he walked off the field.
1. Virat Kohli vs. Sam Konstas
India’s experienced player Virat Kohli and Australia’s rookie Sam Konstas were seen in a physical altercation during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series in Australia. The incident happened during the Melbourne Test, where Kohli clashed shoulders with Konstas at the end of the 10th over of the innings.
As the then 19-year-old batter went down the pitch to speak with his opening partner, Usman Khawaja, he was jeered by the MCG crowd. Following a verbal disagreement between Kohli and Konstas, umpire Michael Gough and Khawaja intervened to diffuse the situation. Kohli escaped a ban for the incident but copped a 20% fine for shoulder-barging Sam Konstas.
