'Sorry, please don't ban me!': When Virat Kohli pleaded match referee

NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli's introduction to international cricket was characterized not only by his extraordinary talent but also by his fiery demeanor on the field. His fierce competitiveness, boldness, and refusal to back down from any confrontation—whether with opponents or spectators—quickly became defining traits.
One of the most infamous incidents highlighting Virat's temperament occurred during India's 2012 tour of Australia, widely known as "Virat's

middle finger incident

."
During the second Test in Sydney, while fielding near the boundary, Virat was repeatedly targeted by verbal abuse from a section of Australian fans.

Aggravated by the continuous taunting, Virat responded by raising his middle finger toward the crowd.

The gesture immediately caused controversy, drawing heavy criticism and substantial media attention.

AFP Photo
"I agree cricketers don't have to retaliate. What when the crowd says the worst things about your mother and sister. The worst I've heard," he had posted.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) subsequently fined Virat 50% of his match fee for breaching the Code of Conduct, citing unsportsmanlike behavior.

In an interview with Wisden, Virat opened up on the controversy and recalled how he pleaded with the match referee Ranjan Madugalle to not ban him.
"Yeah, the one thing I remember most is when I'd had enough of the Australian crowd at Sydney and I just decided to flick a finger at them. 'I'm so cool'. The match referee called me to his room the next day and I'm like, ‘What's wrong?'. He said, ‘What happened at the boundary yesterday?'. I said, ‘Nothing, it was a bit of banter'," Virat had said.
"Then he threw the newspaper in front of me and there was this big image of me flicking on the front page and I said, ‘I'm so sorry, please don't ban me!'," he added.
Madugalle reportedly asked Kohli to admit to his guilt which he accepted and got away with 50 per cent deduction of his match fee. "I got away with that one. He was a nice guy, he understood I was young and these things happen," Virat said.