"Broadcasters amped up stump mic as they were abusing each other" - Aakash Chopra calls out Australian media with Ishant-Jadeja incident in 2018-19

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has made a startling claim about the Australian media, based on an incident between Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja during the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India won the first Test at Adelaide by 31 runs and the action shifted to Perth for the second Test.

During the Perth Test, Sharma and Jadeja had a seemingly heated exchange on the field, and the Australian broadcasters amplified the moment, according to Chopra.

Talking about the same on the 2 Sloggers' YouTube channel, Chopra said:

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"They (Australian media) used to release videos. They did it in front of me when Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja had a heated exchange with each other while standing in the 30-yard circle. The broadcasters amped up the stump mic as they were abusing each other. They cut the clip and shared it with the press in front of me. After that, when we were talking off the field, I was like, 'What are we actually trying to achieve because it's nothing.'" (23:30)

He added:

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"Then Ricky (Ponting) was there with us, and he said they are 'Making a mountain out of a molehill.' The moment he went on air, he tore into the Indian team, and I was stunned that he had just said something else a few minutes back."

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Unfortunately for India, the Test match went downhill as they suffered a 146-run defeat and the series was tied at one apiece.

However, they won the third Test at Melbourne by 137 runs and were in the driver's seat in the series finale at Sydney before rain forced a draw. Nevertheless, Virat Kohli's men completed a 2-1 series win to become the first Asian side to defeat Australia in Australia.

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"I understood that when India plays in Australia, they don't play only against the Australian team but against a whole country" - Aakash Chopra

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India overcame all odds to dethrone Australia down under [Credit: Getty]

Aakash Chopra said Team India have to overcome not just the Australian side but the entire nation, including their media, during the tours Down Under.

Following the victory on the 2018-19 tour, India made it back-to-back wins by recording another 2-1 triumph in 2020-21 in Australia.

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"This is one thing I learnt when I traveled to Australia in 2018 for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for a commentary stint with Channel 7. Generally, we were taught to stay neutral in commentary. India won the first Test there and lost the second, and then I understood that when India plays in Australia, they don't play only against the Australian team but against an entire country, which includes their whole press," Chopra said. (23:02)

He added:

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"Next when we lost the Perth Test, I was driving somewhere and picked up a newspaper, and the front page news was about Ishant and Jadeja with the headline, 'There is in-fighting in the Indian cricket team.' It was front-page news. Then I understood that leave the neutral commentary when you are playing against Australia in Australia and understand that the Indian flag is more important."

India will look to make it a hat-trick of Test series wins in Australia in their upcoming tour, starting November 22.

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