Virat Kohli’s sandpaper gesture divides, villain taunts crowd in Aussie farewell

Virat Kohli couldn’t resist one final taunt as India’s pantomime villain that ensured Australian fans won’t remember him fondly.

Virat Kohli sure isn’t going to be leaving the SCG with many Australian fans after the stand-in skipper was seen mocking the Aussies over the infamous sandpaper scandal.

After the loss of Steve Smith on Day 3 of the fifth Test, Kohli turned to the Indian faithful in the crowd as he pulled out his pockets and gestured he had nothing on him.

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He then went a step further by portraying hiding something in his pants. The moment delighted India fans in attendance but didn’t go down well with the Australian fans who moments later began to chant “Kohli’s a w***er”.

Watch the moment in the video player above

The incident quickly went viral with cricket fans far and wide discussing the moment with Indian fans loving it while Aussie fans were quick to blast Kohli.

Mark Gottlieb wrote on X: “Virat Kohli leaving Australia displaying the class and sportsmanship he’s always been known for. Garbage. Gone over the edge as his batting ability went off a cliff.”

An Indian fan wrote: “Virat Kohli is always an entertainer.”

Virat Kohli's sandpaper gesture divides

It was a petulant act from a player who has had minimal impact on the series following his century in Perth when India’s victory in the series opener was already secure.

Legendary players are usually treated to a standing ovation when they get out for the final time on foreign soil, but that wasn’t the case for Kohli as the curtain came down on his fifth and likely last Test tour in Australia.

After Scott Boland nicked off Kohli for the fifth time in his career, the Indian veteran walked off the SCG with parts of the old Members Stand waving and saying “Bye bye Virat” as he walked up the steps to the Indian dressing room.

With Rohit Sharma “opting to rest” from the final Test and Jasprit Bumrah off the field with back spasms, Kohli relished acting as the stand-in captain.

Kohli tried to get the crowd fired up. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)

No one was more animated in the field than India’s diminutive No. 18, who celebrated every scalp like he had taken the wicket himself and was among the most vocal players out there.

It’s always going to be difficult for Australia to take the moral high ground when it comes to cricket, but Kohli’s sandpaper taunt was unnecessary and will only fuel the petty social media warfare Indian fans are becoming known for.

His Boxing Day shoulder charge on Australian debutant Sam Konstas was needless and a sign of a player who knew his batting could no longer do the talking for him.

Sprinting from the slips cordon towards Konstas after Bumrah dismissed Usman Khawaja on Day 1 at the SCG was another act hardly befitting of a legend of the game.

For his sake, let’s hope Kohli is remembered for the seven Test centuries he scored in Australia, not the pantomime villain act from this tour.

Originally published as Virat Kohli’s sandpaper gesture divides, villain taunts crowd in Aussie farewell