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India registered a historic victory against Australia on their tour in 2020. They came back from behind to register a 2-1 win over the Aussies on their turf in a four-match Test series. After facing humiliation in Adelaide (36 all-out in the second innings), India made a comeback in Melbourne to level the series. Then they drew in Sydney to keep the series alive.
The final nail in the coffin was put at Gabba when India chased down 328 in the fourth innings on the back of Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill’s batting heroics. It became a series to remember for India as they overcame many obstacles. They not only showed courage against the mighty Aussies but also reacted perfectly to the sledging from the crowd.
In the third Test in Sydney, India pacer Mohammed Siraj complained about racist slurs being hurled at him by a few people in the stands. He ignored it once but when it happened twice, Siraj took it to his captain (Ajinkya Rahane) who understood the seriousness of the situation. Rahane then asked the umpires to get those people evicted so that the play can go on smoothly.
However, the response he received was shocking. In a recent interaction (on the sidelines of an event in Mumbai on Wednesday to launch Bandon Mein Tha Dum, a documentary on that series win), Rahane revealed how Paul Reiffel and Paul Wilson had asked the players to go back to the dressing room if they didn't want to play. The Indian batter also revealed how they insisted on staying in the middle and action to be taken against the culprits.
"When Siraj again came to me [on the fourth day, after being abused the day before], I told the umpires that [they] need to take action and we won't play till then," said Rahane. "The umpires said that you can't stall the game and can walk out if you want. We said that we are here to play and not sit in the dressing room and insisted on getting the abusers out of the ground,” he added.
Notably, after multiple complaints, the play was suspended for ten minutes, and a group of people were evicted from the stands before the game could continue.