Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj face racial abuse in Sydney, Indian cricket team lodges complaint
The Indian cricket team has lodged an official complaint with the ICC about racial abuse against two players - Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. The abuse reportedly occurred during the second and third days of the 3rd Test match in Sydney.
A senior contingent from the Indian team led by skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin spoke to the two on-field umpires, Paul Reiffel and Paul Wilson, and brought the incident to their notice.
The group discussed the issue for a few minutes after the end of the day's play on Saturday. The Indian team then stayed back in the dressing room while discussions continued between security officials of the team, the ground security staff and the International Cricket Council's (ICC) security official.
The issue and the subsequent complaint will be under ICC's purview until further notice.
The latest complaint adds to the list of controversies involving the Indian cricket team
This complaint is expected to add to the long list of contentious issues involving the Indian cricket team in the series. The first two matches went smoothly as Australia thrashed India by 8 wickets in Adelaide. Ajinkya Rahane's team returned the favor in Melbourne to tie the series at 1-1.
However, since then, the Test series has seen a glut of small and big controversies. Firstly, four Indian players, including Rohit Sharma, were dragged into a controversy about breaking bio-secure bubble protocols in Australia. All the players involved tested negative for the virus soon after.
Then, in an ongoing issue, the BCCI is at loggerheads with Cricket Australia and the Queensland Government about the venue of the 4th Test. The BCCI is reluctant to let the Indian cricket players undergo a quarantine in Brisbane before the Test while CA are adamant about sticking to the schedule.
There are rumblings among the locals Down Under that BCCI has 'power' over the authorities in Australia and will get their way. The cricketing fraternity in India is convinced that these are just methods to distract the Indian cricket team during the Test series.