Virat Kohli close to getting banned after receiving his third demerit point

Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, was hit with a demerit point during the third T20I between South Africa and India. This decision of ICC took Virat's demerit points tally to three in last two years.

If the Indian skipper gets another demerit point before January 15, then he will be banned for a test or two limited-overs matches, whichever comes first. ICC slammed Kohli with a demerit point after he made a deliberate contact with Beuran Hendricks shoulder, while running between the wickets.

Kohli breached the ICC Code of Conduct Article 2.12 which states: "Inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator) during an International Match".

Kohli's demerit points

Kohli's first demerit point came during India's tour of South Africa on January 15, 2018, at Centurion. The Indian batsman was sanctioned with a demerit point during the 3rd day of the 2nd Test due to his repeated complaints about the "damp" ball. The skipper also threw the ball aggressively on the ground, which resulted in a fine of 25% of his match fee. 

Kohli's second demerit point came against Afghanistan in the 2019 ICC World Cup. During the tense match, which India clinched by 11 runs, Kohli was seen advancing towards the umpire Aleem Dar while appealing aggressively. The Indian skipper collected his second demerit point on that day along with a fine of 25% of his match fee.

How does the demerit points work

The demerit points are to punish the players who break ICC's code of conduct. The on-field umpires watch out for the players who don't follow the code of conduct and reports it to the match referee.

The match referee, then decides on the issue, on the level of offence and informs it to the players or the team. The cricketers do have a choice of contesting against it, which leads to an official hearing. If the player's demerit points tally reaches four, then that player is hit with a suspension. 

Every single demerit point has a lifetime of 24 months, which means that the point cannot exhaust or revert to zero. If the player doesn't receive any demerit point in this time period, then his pre existing point gets expired.

After completing the ban, player's demerit point will not be set to zero. He will have the same four demerit points and if he accumulates four more, then the player will get banned for two Tests or four limited-overs matches.

Kohli acquired his first demerit point in January 2018, which means that he has to wait till January 2020 to get rid of that point. Similarly, he will have to wait till June 23, 2021 to get rid of his second demerit point and will have to wait till September 22, 2021 to get rid of his third.

India's schedule till January is full-packed and with matches against South Africa, West Indies ,and Bangladesh. It will be interesting to see how Kohli approaches the games from now on.

Cover Picture courtesy: NDTV