Kohli fined for ‘excessive appealing’

SOUTHAMPTON: India captain Virat Kohli has been fined 25 percent of his match fee for “excessive appealing” in a tense World Cup victory over Afghanistan , the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Sunday.

The batsman has also had one demerit point added to his disciplinary record after he was rule to have approached experienced Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar in an aggressive manner when appealing an lbw decision during the 29th over of India’s nail-biting 11-run win over rank outsiders Afghanistan at Southampton on Saturday.

Kohli was found to have breached Level 1 of the ICC code of conduct, with his offence relating to the clause concerning “excessive appealing during an international match”. The India skipper admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Chris Broad, the former England batsman.

As such, there was no need for a formal hearing. Victory, sealed by a Mohammed Shami hat-trick, saw India remain on course to qualify for the semi-finals from the 10-team group stage but only after bottom of the table Afghanistan threatened to produce one of the all-time great upsets.