Virat Kohli who was hit by third demerit point on Sunday after making “deliberate” contact with Beuran Hendricks, is now a point away from a match suspension.
Kohli’s first two demerit points
Kohli got his first demerit point during South Africa tour on January 15 in 2018, at Centurion. Kohli kept complaining about the “damp” ball to the umpire and later he threw the ball in anger. During the match, Kohli was fined 25% of his match fee as well.
His second demerit point came during this World Cup against Afghanistan. The match which India won by 11 runs, saw Kohli aggressively appealing while marching towards the umpire Aleem Dar. This was against the code of conduct and Kohli was once again fined 25% of his match fee and was awarded a demerit point.
How demerit points work
The on-field umpires watch out for the activities of the players and reports to match referee if they feel that any of the players broke the ICC Code of conduct. The match referee then decides on the issue, the level of offence and informs to the team or the player. The player can either accept the offence or can contest against it.
The contest will lead to an official hearing.
If a player accepts the point, it will stay on his records for 24 months.
For example, Kohli will have to wait till January 15, 2020, to get rid of his first demerit point and will have to wait till June 23, 2021, to get rid of his second and September 22, 2021, for his third.
If Kohli accumulates another demerit point before 2020 January 15, he will be banned for a Test match or two limited-overs games, whichever comes first.
No, the points will not disappear after he served the ban but will be taken off one by one after the 24-month period. If he collects four demerit points after suspension within the 24 months period, he will be banned for two Tests or four limited-overs games.
It will be interesting to see how Kohli approaches his games considering the fact that India now will take on South Africa, Bangladesh, West Indies before January 2020.
