Viat Kohli was penalized and reprimanded with one demerit point after he made a physical contact with South African bowler Beuran Hendricks in the third T20I between India and South Africa in Bengaluru on Sunday.
The Indian skipper was found guilty of breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct, and admitted to the offence.
The ICC released a statement, saying that Kohli breached Article 2.12 of the Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel that related to “inappropriate physical contact with a player, player support personnel, umpire, match referee or any other person (including a spectator) during an international match.”
Kohli, thus, committed his third offence since the demerit system was introduced in 2016. He had earlier received one demerit point during the Test against the Proteas at Pretoria last year, and then got another minus mark during the World Cup clash with Afghanistan earlier this year in June.
The Delhi player scored a vital fifty in the second T20I against the South Africans to help his team go 1-0 up after the first match at Dharamsala was washed out. However, he was unable to continue his form in the next game, as the Quinton de Kock-led team sealed the third and final game to draw level in the series.
A three-match Test series follows the T20I series, with the first game scheduled to be held from October 2 at Vizag. The following two games will be held at Pune and Ranchi respectively. While the second Test commences from October 10, the third match will be held from October 19.