Play was halted for about 10 minutes as captain Ajinkya Rahane and Siraj complained to the umpires about the incident. Six people were ejected from the crowd by the security.
India pacer Mohammed Siraj was again subjected to racial slurs by fans in the crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday. Siraj was fielding at the square leg boundary when a group of six people started passing racial comments to him. The play was halted for about 10 minutes as captain Ajinkya Rahane and Siraj complained to the umpires about the incident. Six people were ejected from the crowd by the security.
Virat Kohli has faced many instances of confrontation with the Australian crowd in the past and he commented on the latest row. Kohli said that the incident needs to be looked at with absolute urgency and strict action should be taken against the perpetrators.
“Racial abuse is absolutely unacceptable. Having gone through many incidents of really pathetic things said on the boundary Iines, this is the absolute peak of rowdy behaviour. It’s sad to see this happen on the field,’ Kohli said on Twitter.
“The incident needs to be looked at with absolute urgency and seriousness and strict action against the offenders should set things straight for once.”
The Indian team on Saturday lodged an official complaint after the crowd at the SCG racially abused pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj over the second and third day of the ongoing Pink Test.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has also condemned the incidents of racism during Day 4 of the ongoing India vs Australia Test in Sydney on Sunday and has asked Cricket Australia to look into the matter.
“The International Cricket Council (ICC) has strongly condemned reported incidents of racism during the ongoing third Test match between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground and have offered Cricket Australia all necessary support in investigating the incidents,” the ICC said in a statement.
Fast bowler Siraj was fielding at square leg boundary when he heard the racial remarks. Siraj brought up the matter with the umpire, after which stand-in-captain Ajinkya Rahane joined in. A while later, security guards escorted six people out of the ground.
Under the ICC Anti-Discrimination policy, Cricket Australia will now be required to investigate the issue and provide a report to the ICC on the incident and any action taken to ensure the issue has been dealt with appropriately.
“There is no place for discrimination in our sport and we are incredibly disappointed that a small minority of fans may think that this abhorrent behaviour is acceptable. We have a comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Policy in place that Members have to abide by and ensure is adhered to by fans and we welcome the action taken by ground authorities and Cricket Australia today,” ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said.
“We will provide Cricket Australia and the relevant authorities with our full support in any ensuing investigation as we will not tolerate any racism in our sport.”