According to a report in Cricbuzz, the Indian team have lodged a complaint, alleging that the pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj was targetted with racist abuse from a section of the crowd during the ongoing Test against Australia in Sydney.
It is being reported that the Indian team management, including skipper Ajinkya Rahane and senior bowler Ravichandran Ashwin, had a long discussion with umpires and security officials after the end of the third day’s play. According to Cricbuzz journalist Bharat Sundaresan, a member of the crowd had directed comments at Siraj from the Randwick end, when he was fielding at fine-leg.
Quite a long discussion between the senior Indian players, including captain Rahane, the umpires & a security official at close of play. Looked like it was to do with something someone from the crowd had said to Mohammad Siraj who was at fine-leg at the Randwick end #AUSvIND
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) January 9, 2021
According to the report, team India officials complained that Bumrah and Siraj had been at the receiving end of taunts from the crowd over the past two days, which they alleged were racist in nature.
During India’s last tour to Australia in 2018/19, a group of fans at Bay 13 of the Melbourne Cricket Ground were ejected after they were caught on camera racially taunting India fielders, with chants such as ‘show us your visa’ being heard.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions this time, crowd capacity in Sydney has been reduced to 25 per cent, with social distancing being introduced to seat the spectators.
