On day three of the Sydney Test between India and Australia, Mohammed Siraj, who is playing his debut Test series, and Jasprit Bumrah were racially abused by spectators in the stadium. Team India has officially lodged the complaint and as of now, the issue rests with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The renowned sports journalist Boria Majumdar, took to Twitter, to break the news. He stated the few drunk supporters took racial jibes at Mohammed Siraj with taunts that were “seriously insulting”.
Mohammed Siraj was called Wan…. Mother F… Monkey: Boria Majumdar
As per reports, India skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Ravi Ashwin were seen speaking to the on-field umpires Paul Wilson and Paul Reiffel as they brought to their notice had been subjected to abuse by a few drunk supporters in the stands. The umpires, security officials, Siraj, and Bumrah were also spotted discussing after the end of the day’s play on Saturday.
“Mohammed Siraj racially abused in Sydney: Indian team lodges official complaint. Drunk supporters passed a series of racially abusive comments and the match referee has been informed, ” Boria Majumdar Tweeted.
“He was called Wan…. Mother F… Monkey etc etc. This is just ridiculous. How on earth in an advanced society does someone get subjected to this? Unbelievable and unacceptable. Hope we see some action on this. @BCCI shouldn’t leave this, ” he tweeted further.
He was called Wan…. Mother F… Monkey etc etc. This is just ridiculous. How on earth in an advanced society does someone get subjected to this? Unbelievable and unacceptable. Hope we see some action on this. @BCCI shouldn’t leave this.
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) January 9, 2021
This incident refreshes the Sydney Test 2008 when Andrew Symond had accused Harbhajan Singh of calling him Monkey. And, the umpire had banned him for playing him the next match after which, the Indian team had protested against the decision, stating that the accusations were false. They had also offered to leave the series in between if the ban was not lifted. As a result, Harbhajan Singh was allowed to play the next match.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj took the wicket of Will Pucovski on day three and bowled tight spells to put pressure on the host.
As of now, Australia has the upper hand as they are leading by 197 runs at the loss of only two wickets. Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith– the two batsmen of Aussie are still on the crease and will look to score big on day four.