When Virat Kohli and Aakash Chopra were fined for unsporting behaviour in 2009 Deodhar Trophy
Virat Kohli and Aakash Chopra began their respective cricket journeys playing for Delhi in the domestic circuit. If history is anything to go by, the players from Delhi have earned a notorious reputation for their aggression, and it got the better of the above-mentioned duo during a 2009 Deodhar Trophy clash.
Representing the North Zone in the competition, Kohli and Chopra were fined 50 percent and 20 percent of their match fees, respectively, over separate incidents.
Kohli was involved in a heated confrontation with opposition seamer Dhiraj Goswami after being caught and bowled for seven runs off 11 deliveries during the clash in Cuttack. The Assam pacer was also issued a warning for his role during the verbal exchange, but was not sanctioned.
Chopra, on the other hand, copped the fine after expressing his displeasure to the umpire over his LBW by opposition skipper Manoj Tiwary. He had shown his bat to the umpire to indicate that there was an inside edge, thus invalidating his judgment. The opener was the joint top scorer during the North Zone run chase with 58 runs off 75 deliveries.
This was among Kohli's final appearances in domestic cricket, as he slowly became integrated into the national setup across formats. Chopra continued to feature until the 2012-13 domestic season featuring for sides like Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, before announcing his retirement. Since then, he has been actively involved in broadcasting and running a YouTube channel.
Kohli has been a tricky player for the officials to deal with over the years
The war of words with Goswami is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Kohli's acts on the field, spurred on by aggression. Only a couple of years later, he was involved in a confrontation with Bangladesh pacer Rubel Hossain on his ODI World Cup debut in Dhaka.
While there have been ebbs and flows when it comes to Kohli's disciplinary record, there have always been incidents on a regular basis that have required the intervention of the match referees. Most recently, he was fined 50 percent of his match fees for showing dissent towards the umpire's decision during the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The ace batter was dismissed off a controversial high delivery by Harshit Rana, which he believed to be a no-ball.
His on-field clashes against former Delhi teammate, and current India coach, Gautam Gambhir, have also been well documented.