CAPE TOWN – Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has been nailed once again by the International Cricket Council, but what about Indian captain Virat Kohli?
Rabada lost his cool by giving opener Shikhar Dhawan a ‘send-off’ during the fifth ODI at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday.
Dhawan had reached 34 off just 21 balls when Rabada delivered a good bouncer that the left-hander pulled straight to Andile Phehlukwayo on the square-leg boundary in the fifth ODI at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth, which the Indians won by 73 runs to clinch the series 4-1 – their first ever series win in South Africa.
Radaba, who had been hit for four by Dhawan the previous ball, stared fiercely at Dhawan before waving him away while appearing to shout the ‘F-bomb’.
The ICC announced on Wednesday that Rabada had been fined 15 percent of his match fee and, as well as one demerit point for his Level 1 breach of the code of conduct, which the paceman accepted.
The ICC said that Rabada now has five demerit points on his record after receiving three against Sri Lanka last February and one against England at Lord’s in July, which saw him suspended for the subsequent Trent Bridge Test.
If he reaches eight demerit points within a 24-month period, Rabada will be suspended from either two Tests, one Test and one ODIs or T20s, or four ODIs or T20s.
That’s all well and fine.
But then Kohli should also face the music for his ‘send-off’ of Proteas counterpart Aiden Markram.
A video replay shows Kohli mouthing an expletive in Hindi at Markram when the right-hander was dismissed for 32 in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday.
The Indian skipper took the catch at mid-off, with Jasprit Bumrah the bowler.
As Kohli celebrates with his teammates, he looks in the direction of the departing Markram and shouts a well-known derogatory Hindi phrase that has to do with someone’s mother.
I asked the ICC if they are looking into the Kohli matter, and a spokesperson has confirmed that “The on-field umpires have only charged Kagiso from the fifth ODI”.
So, with the mother body not even investigating this incident, it would appear as if Kohli is more equal than Rabada in the eyes of the ICC...
* This opinion piece has been updated.
* Ashfak Mohamed is the Digital Sports Editor of Independent Media.