The back page of the Australian media page, The West Australian, has gone viral, igniting a backlash from Indian fans over its portrayal of Virat Kohli as a clown.

Many fans echoed this sentiment, suggesting that Kohli should have exercised more restraint during the incident. One user on X remarked that the Australian media should have recognized Konstas’s debut rather than mocking Kohli.

The newspaper featured a graphic of Kohli with a clown nose and the headline “Clown Kohli,” which provoked strong reactions from Kohli’s supporters and Indian media.

This comes after a heated incident involving Kohli and Australian debutant Sam Konstas during the Boxing Day Test, although Kohli faced no serious penalties.

During the match, Kohli was seen deliberately shouldering Konstas as he aggressively faced the Indian bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah.

Kohli was fined 20% of his match fee and received one demerit point for the clash, classified as a level one offence by match referee Andy Pycroft. Some cricketing legends, including former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, criticized the leniency of Kohli’s punishment, arguing it could set a concerning precedent.

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Ponting stated, “I don’t think it is harsh enough… He is a role model, someone the cricketing world looks up to.”

India’s batting coach Abhishek Nayar claimed he was unaware of the incident during a post-match press conference.