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Former India cricketer and legend Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at the Australian cricketers and the spectators after they continued to boo Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj for his fiery send-off to Travis Head in the Adelaide Test. While the booing began soon after Siraj dismissed Head in Adelaide Test, it has continued in the Gabba Test.
Seeing widespread criticism from the Australian crowd over these days, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar recently called out the hypocrisy. He also highlighted that if it would be an Aussie cricketer in place of Siraj, they would have continued to cheer him up. Gavaskar not only questioned this gesture from the Aussie fans, he also labelled them “mongrels”, hitting back firmly.
Sunil Gavaskar calls out Australia “saints” after boos continue for Mohammed Siraj in third BGT Test
Writing for a column in Sydney Morning Herald, Gavaskar wrote, "Siraj is getting the stick from all the “saints” in Australian cricket who, of course, were known for their impeccable behaviour on the field. It may have incensed Australian fans that Siraj’s fiery send-off was directed at Head, who scored a magnificent century and was also the local boy."
"But the same people will cheer if an Aussie quick gives a similar send-off to an English batter during next summer’s Ashes. There were some suggestions in the media that the Australians should get back to being the mongrels they once were. So, do mongrels simply purr, or do they bark, too?" he further continued.
Notably, Gavaskar, who is part of the commentary panel for the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test series, also expressed his surprise on how the incident involving Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head has panned out. He also pointed out that IPL has contributed a lot to reduce the animosity in a game of cricket. “Siraj's outburst was surprising because if the Indian Premier League has done one thing, apart from making Aussie cricketers and coaches millionaires, it has also taken away to a huge extent the animosity that previously existed in the game,” he added.
It is to be noted that despite Interntional Cricket Council (ICC) putting sanctions on Siraj and handing a demerit point each to the Indian pacer as well as Travis Head, the former was amid criticism in the Gabba Test.
