File photo of Adelaide Oval.© AFP

Mohammed Siraj (left) giving a fiery send-off to Travis Head during Pink-ball Test in Adelaide.© AFP

Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj was fined 20 per cent of his match fee, while Australian batter Travis Head was also “sanctioned” by the ICC for indulging in a heated exchange of words during the just-concluded day-night Test in Adelaide. Siraj and Head were held guilty of breaching the world body’s code of conduct following a disciplinary hearing on Monday. “Siraj has been penalised 20 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of breaching article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel,” the ICC said in a statement.

The cited rule relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal.” The ICC said Head too was “sanctioned” for breaching Article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.

However, he escaped a fine for breaching the rule that relates to the “abuse of a player, player support personnel, umpire or match referee during an international match.” Siraj and Head also received one demerit point each on their disciplinary records, marking their first offence in the last 24 months.

“Both admitted their offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle,” the ICC said.

Head and Siraj had a brief showdown on day two of the match that Australia won by 10 wickets on Sunday. Head had struck a splendid 141-ball knock of 140 before being castled by Siraj, who went on to give him an aggressive send-off following an exchange of words.

The Indian endured booes from the Adelaide crowd following the confrontation.

Head later claimed that he had merely said “well bowled” to Siraj and that he was disappointed at how the visiting bowler had responded. Siraj disputed that claim, asserting that Head had abused him.

“I only celebrated and he abused me and you saw that on TV too. I only celebrated at the start, I didn’t say anything to him,” Siraj told broadcaster ‘Star Sports’.

“What he said in the press conference wasn’t right, it’s a lie that he only said ‘well bowled’ to me. It’s there for everyone to see that that’s not what he said to me.” Head also acknowledged his role in the incident.

“There was no confrontation leading up to him and I felt like it was probably, yeah, a little bit far at the time, and that’s why I am disappointed in the reaction that I gave back,” he said in a post-play press conference.

The two teams are tied 1-1 in the five-match series.

The verbal exchange between Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head was the highlight of Day 2 of the India vs Australia Adelaide Test. Siraj was hit for a six by Head and he cleaned up the batter on the very next ball. The right-handed pacer followed the wicket with a fiery celebration, something which didn’t impress Head. The Australian batter exchanged a few words with Siraj after that, and it all ended with the pacer showing an animated gesture. The incident went viral on social media.

While speaking about the face-off ahead of action on Day 3, Siraj revealed what actually happened between him and Head. Ex-India spinner Harbhajan Singh — the presenter for Indian broadcaster Star Sports — gave a funny advice to Siraj, who was recently appointed as the Deputy Superintendent of Police in his home state of Telangana.

“DSP saab, jab yeh (Head) dubara Hyderabad aye na, toh usko zara giraftaar kar lena (when he comes to Hyderabad to play in the IPL, try and arrest him),” Harbhajan jokingly told Siraj. “I am just joking. I wish you all the best,” he added.

Stunning revelation! @mdsirajofficial breaks his silence on his verbal clash with #TravisHead during Day 2 of the pink-ball Test!

PS. Don’t miss @harbhajan_singh‘s advice to DSP Sahab! #AUSvINDOnStar 2nd Test, Day 3 LIVE NOW! | #ToughestRivalry #BorderGavaskarTrophy… pic.twitter.com/x0IqMVG1Ir

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 8, 2024

Notably, Head plays for Hyderabad-based franchise SRH in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was retained by the side for Rs 14 crore ahead of IPL 2025 auction.

Skipper Pat Cummins‘ masterclass propelled Australia to a dominating 10-wicket win over India in the second Test in Adelaide. Chasing only 19 runs to win on Day 3, Australia did not face any hiccups as openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney took the hosts across the line in just 3.2 overs.

Earlier in the day, Cummins completed his five-wicket haul as Australia bundled out India for 175. For Australia, pacer Mitchell Starc took a total of eight wickets while skipper Pat Cummins picked seven in the game.

Batter Travis Head was the star performer with his knock of 140 runs. For India, only Nitish Reddy played decent knocks of 42 each in both the innings. With this win, Australia have levelled the five-match Border-Gavaskar series 1-1.

Following India’s loss to Australia in the second Test, former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan opened up on inconsistent form of star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, saying that they will have to perform well consistently as living on past laurels will make things difficult for them as they age but expectations stay the same. He also opined that the ‘Hitman’ batting down the order at number six was a wrong move. After the birth of his second child which caused him to miss the first Test at Perth, which was a memorable win by 295 runs, Rohit’s return to cricket was far from spectacular, as not only he succumbed to double digits during struggled-filled outings down the order at number six, the team also succumbed to a 10-wicket loss in the pink-ball Test within just three days at Adelaide. After a century at Perth, Virat struggled with outside off-stump deliveries yet again, scoring just seven and 11 runs in the match.

Speaking to ANI, Atul said that as Rohit-Virat age, their exploits with the bat will get lesser and it happens as player’s age.

“Look, I knew this focus would come on Virat and Rohit. This would come again and again. But look, their exploits, you will start seeing less of it as they age. When you get older, it happens. You think that he will do it in every match. That is not possible. But their value is worth its weight in gold. Because them standing there, their staying in the team, adds depth in the team. That is very important. But you have to perform. You cannot survive on your past laurels and reputation. Your past body of work can only give you this much leverage. Then it starts troubling you when expectations get high, but your potency is low as you age. I think it is very important for them to stay and pull their weight,” he said.

In the ongoing 2024-25 Test season, Rohit has made 142 runs in six Tests across 12 innings at an average of 11.83, with best score of 52 and just one fifty to his name. This year, Rohit has made 597 runs in 12 Tests and 23 innings at an average of 27.13, with two centuries and two fifties and best score of 131.

On the other hand, in ongoing Test season which started with Bangladesh series, Virat has scored just 315 runs in 14 innings at an average of 26.25, with a century and a fifty in 14 innings. His best score is 100*. Since 2020-start, Virat has had underwhelming Test numbers with 1,961 runs in 36 matches and 64 innings at an average of 32.14, with just three centuries and nine fifties. His best score is 186.

Atul also said that Rohit not opening was a “tactical mistake” as he had that game which could earn him success in Australia. Rohit headed into the game with an average of over 43 in 25 Tests as a middle-order batter, with three centuries and six fifties. However, he could not add to his solid run down the order.

“Now I think it is a mistake that Rohit Sharma did not go and open. I think so. Because his mindset, his mentality is not of middle order batter. But KL (Rahul) has the capacity to play up and down. I think it is a tactical mistake. That would not work. Rohit is a great captain. No matter how he plays, how he plays his shots, and the kind of game he has, in Australia, he is more likely to come off. More likely to be successful. The mistake he made in the New Zealand series, that he tried to play his natural game against the tide. Against the run of play, that was a bit difficult. Because now it is 6 innings (against NZ). Now he has gone there. Now it is 2 innings. So there will be a bit of pressure. But I think he should come back. Just play to his own potential, capacity and talent. And we will all be alright,” he added.

Coming to the match, India won the toss and opted to bat first. However, they had to face the wrath of a moving, erratic pink-ball and its mastermind, Mitchell Starc (6/48). Except for a 69-run stand for the second wicket between KL Rahul (37 in 64 balls with six fours) and Shubman Gill (31 in 51 balls, with five fours) and a fighting 42 in 54 balls (three fours and three sixes) from Nitish Kumar Reddy, there was not much highlights from India who were skittled out for 180 runs. Skipper Cummins and Scott Boland also took two wickets.

In the first innings, a 67-run partnership between Nathan McSweeney (39 in 109 balls, with six fours) and Marnus Labuschagne (64 in 126 balls, with nine fours) for second wicket set the platform for Travis Head to impose his domination over Indian bowlers yet again with a counter-attacking 140 in 141 balls, with 17 fours and four sixes, just when Aussies lost some regular wickets. His century took Australia to 337 runs and gave them a 157-run lead.

Jasprit Bumrah (4/61) and Mohammed Siraj (4/98) were top bowlers for India. Ravichandran and Nitish got a wicket each.

In their second innings, India appeared even more toothless as the star-studded top-order and middle-order returned back to pavillion despite starts from Jaiswal (24 in 31 balls, with four boundaries), Gill (28 in 30 balls, with three fours) while KL Rahul (7) and Virat Kohli (11 in 21 balls with a four) failed to score well. India ended day two at 128/5.

On the third day, Pant also lost his wicket for 28 in 31 balls, with five fours. From there on, it was not looking back for Aussies, who skittled out India for 175 runs in 36.5 overs. India lead by just 18 runs, setting Aussies 19 runs to win.

Skipper Cummins (5/67) took a majestic five-wicket haul, his eighth as a captain. Boland took 3/51 while Starc took 2/60.

Set a target of 19 runs, Khawaja (10*) and McSweeney (9*) chased it down without breaking a sweat in 3.2 overs.

A video of Mitchell Starc from the ongoing Adelaide Test between India and Australia is going viral on social media. In the surfaced clip, Starc, who was fielding near the boundary line on Day 1 of the second Test, was involved in a banter with a group of fans. The fans teased the Australian pacer with “IPL” and “KKR” chants, and the latter replied in a funny manner. The fans picked pace with “IPL, IPL” chants before switching to “KKR, KKR”. After hearing the name of Kolkata Knight Riders, his former IPL team, Starc responded with a gesture of his left hand about money.

Watch it here:

The Indian crowd teases Starc about the IPL and KKR.

Starc politely inquires about his price. pic.twitter.com/Pxag0V50Lz

— ICT Fan (@Delphy06) December 6, 2024

Notably, Starc was bought was KKR for Rs 24.75 crore ahead of IPL 2024. The player was released by the franchise after the edition and he has now been bought by Delhi Capitals for impressive Rs 11.75 crore. 

Australia’s pace spearhead Starc on Friday said sticking to his go-to mantra of attacking the stumps with the new ball helped him strike early on the opening day of the pink-ball Test against India.

Starc was the standout performer on a lively Adelaide pitch, returning excellent figures of 6/48 to dismiss India for a mere 180 runs.

Starc feels that Test cricket had changed somewhat since the time he came into the Australian side with a lot of young, talented and fearless cricketers emerging from the Indian Premier League and making an impact in Test cricket.

“Yeah, the game’s changed. The game’s allowed to change. I guess that’s partly the T20 era, isn’t it? “Some of these guys come up, grow up through IPL cricket and there’s no fear or there’s the expectation to be very good from the get-go and they’re quality players from the time they get into international cricket no matter what their age is,” he said.

Citing the example of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who at 22 has four Test centuries, Starc said: “We’ve obviously seen a little bit of Jaiswal before last week and then obviously had a fantastic one in the second innings (at Perth), and in some of the shots that Kumar (Nitish Reddy) played today where it was some special shots.

“Whether that’s T20 cricket or coming into Test cricket or no-fear cricket from the next generation, I’ve been around long enough to see it change a little bit. And yeah, whether it’s less fear or just a bit more confidence when you start into international cricket. You’ll have to ask those batters but I’m sure it’s exciting to watch.”

(With PTI Inputs)

Mitchell Starc’s rampant bowling on the first day of the second Test saw Australia crash through the Indian batting line-up at the Adelaide Oval on Friday. His brilliant bowling effort prompted former Australia opening batter Matthew Hayden to label the left-arm pacer as a ‘magician with the pink ball’. “He has that scrambled seam delivery that goes across the right-hander, but when he does have that ability-which he did-I must admit I was a little surprised. I’ve never really seen the pink ball swing into the sort of 40th over and so aggressively swing as well. By that stage, he used a really important word, and it’s a bit of an underrated word as well, and that’s momentum,” Hayden told Star Sports at the end of the day’s play in Adelaide.

“It was all in favour of India. A difficult position to come back from in life and sport is those opportunities to wrestle back momentum, and Mitchell Starc did that in only the way he can-when the lights are like the way they are and with that beautiful-coloured ball in his hand. He’s just a magician with the Pink Ball,” he said.

Under overcast skies, Starc picked his best-ever Test figures of 6-48, including dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal with the very first ball of the game in front of a record 50,186 supporters. After that, India built their innings on the base of a 69-run partnership between KL Rahul and Shubman Gill. But Starc struck again with his double strike, removing Rahul and then Virat Kohli just before the end of the first session to hand the hosts the advantage.

After a disappointing first innings, India came out to bowl under the evening sky at Adelaide and went on to get Usman Khawaja’s wicket for 13 runs, after he was caught by Rohit Sharma off Bumrah’s delivery.

At stumps, Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne, unbeaten on 38 and 20 respectively, blunted India’s bowlers in a solid show of discipline and defence in a tricky phase to stitch an unbroken 62-run stand for the second wicket and helped Australia reach 86/1 in 33 overs and trail the visitors’ by 94 runs.

Former India captain and opening batter Sunil Gavaskar highlighted what the Indian bowlers will need to focus on. “They have to make the batters play as much as they can. And this is what happens when you make the batters play as much as you can. You can set them up by bowling a couple of deliveries outside and then get the ball to move back in, as it did to Nathan McSweeney in the Perth Test, or Labuschagne in the Perth Test, like what Bumrah did. The Indian bowlers have not really used the pink ball as well as they should have,” said Gavaskar on Star Sports.

File photo of Josh Hazlewood.© AFP

India captain Rohit Sharma on Thursday endorsed the exclusion of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin from the first Test against Australia at Perth, saying it was the “right thing to do” but backed the two veterans to play a “huge role” in the rest of the series. Coming off a 0-3 hammering to New Zealand at home, India took an audacious call to leave out Ashwin and Jadeja while handing Test debuts to Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy. The decision paid rich dividends as both the young players made vital contributions in India’s 295-run win.

Rohit told the media on the eve of the second Test, “Unfortunately, I was not there to bring this news to them that they are not playing the first game. It’s always hard to leave (out) experienced players like Jadeja and Ashwin, it’s never easy.”

“But the decision was made (on the basis of) whatever was best for the team at that particular time and whatever the management felt at that particular time is the right thing to do, we did that.”

Rohit reckoned Ashwin and Jadeja, who have 855 Test wickets between them, would play a huge role in the remainder of the five-match series as India look to keep alive their hopes of making a third appearance in the World Test Championship final next year.

“That is what, throughout the series, we will look to do – whatever we feel at that particular time is the right thing to do. We will try and do that. But I certainly see them playing a huge role in the rest of the series,” he said.

“What they bring to the table (can) never be written off. They are quality players and whatever success Indian cricket has had over the past few years is largely because of these two guys as well.

“We will never count that (out) – performances of theirs – (and) what they have done for the team. It’s important for us to realise certain grounds here will bring certain players in the game a lot more. We have to try and do that,” he said.

With Washington Sundar being tipped to replace the 38-year-old Ashwin in the longer run, Rohit said the young all-rounder has the game to excel in different conditions around the world.

“(He is) a very solid all-rounder. We’ve seen what he can do with the ball (and) with the bat. He’s got a solid technique to play anywhere in the world and when such players are in the team, you get the confidence,” Rohit said.

“I just hope that he stays away from injury and doesn’t get injured, because a player like him is always valuable to our squad. (He) gives us that balance, that depth that a team always requires. I can see his graph from here going up only. I don’t see him going down unless there is an unfortunate injury.

“He has got all the tools that is required to find success at international level. He has got everything that is required,” he added.

The Indian captain said while he had not seen much of the two debutants — Rana and Reddy — at Perth, he was impressed with their combative attitude on the field.

“It was very impressive to watch them. I’ve personally only heard things about them and I (had) watched them (playing) in some of the games in IPL. Nitish, particularly, in some T20 games that were played before they came here,” he said.

“They certainly possess a lot of talent, and clearly, in that first Test match in Perth, it never felt like they were playing their first game. Right from the word go, they were in it and they wanted to be in that battle, and wanting to do everything that is asked of them.” Rohit said India will need players with such attitude if they are to win the coming matches.

“Both of these guys showed great body language as well – whatever I watched from the outside when I was at home,” he said.

Rohit continued, “It looked superb and that is the kind of guys you need in your squad when you want to win big series (and) big games.

“You want these kinds of guys to turn up and take the heat on and that is certainly what these two guys did.

“(They made) a very, very impressive start to their careers. I can only hope that they continue to play as long as possible for the team and keep putting in performances,” he added.