The intensity and fury of the competition can sometimes push players over the edge. Here are the top three controversies from the recent India-Australia Test series.
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The current Border-Gavaskar Trophy competition will commence on February 9 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. The four-match series preparation has begun, with both India and Australia working hard in net sessions. Cricket aficionados would agree that the India-Australia rivalry is one of the best in the game’s history. This rivalry has generated numerous world cricket superstars, but it has also brought some scandals. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy always seems to have a high level of competition. The intensity and fury of the competition can sometimes push players over the edge. Here are the top three controversies from the recent India-Australia Test series.
During India’s 2020-21 tour of Australia, fast bowler Mohammed Siraj experienced racial abuse. Cricket Australia acknowledged that supporters hurled racial epithets towards Siraj and his partner Jasprit Bumrah at the Sydney Cricket Ground. In a news conference later that day, Siraj claimed that the umpires offered captain Ajinkya Rahane and his squad permission to leave the field. The Indian team, on the other hand, continued to play. Cricket Australia completely supported the Indian squad after the fans were expelled. The authorities thought this an essential step in combating racism in such settings.”I faced abuses in Australia. The case is going on, let’s see whether I get justice or not. My job was to report the incident to the captain,” Siraj said.
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During Australia’s most recent Test series in India, Steve Smith sought advice from the dressing room on whether he should review an LBW decision. This is against DRS policy. The batsman cannot seek advice from the dressing room on this topic. Then-India captain Virat Kohli lost his cool and told the umpire about Smith’s methods. Smith was denied the review and was ordered back to the locker room. Later, the Australian batter described the occurrences as a “brain fade” incident.
Almost every Indian and Australian cricket fan is familiar with the ‘Monkeygate’ affair. During the Sydney Test of India vs. Australia Test series in 2007-08, Harbhajan Singh exchanged words with Andrew Symonds. The dispute took a very dramatic turn later when the Australian said that Harbhajan insulted Symonds ethnically by calling him a ‘monkey’. Harbhajan Singh was banned for three matches by referee Mike Procter, but the off-spinner was acquitted after the BCCI filed an appeal. There were reports of racial abuse directed against Symonds by fans during an ODI series between the two teams in India in 2007, before the series in Australia. It was stated that he had been nicknamed ‘monkey’ by some spectators.
The BCCI, on the other hand, took a dim view of the allegations brought against the Indian off-spinner. The Indian squad appeared to be considering withdrawing from the tour. The series went on, though, and the Indian team stated that Harbhajan did not use the racial term. Sachin Tendulkar, who was batting with Harbhajan at the time of the incident, provided crucial testimony in his teammate’s favour. “Obviously, I was disturbed, I couldn’t understand why it was happening. Why was there so much of… for something that hadn’t happened. They had six or seven witnesses for something that I had not said. No one had heard it and yet it was blown out of proportion,” Harbhajan said about the incident in an interview.
