Cricket News

“He had tears in his eyes: Former Australian Captain recalls racism incident from Border Gavaskar Trophy

Former Australia Captain Tim Paine recalled the racist remarks faced by Indian bowler Mohammed Siraj during the Sydney Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21. Paine said that he was upset with the treatment by the Australian crowd that was meted out to Siraj.

Paine said that the behaviour of some of the Australian fans was “uncalled for”, especially at a time when Siraj was dealing with the demise of his father. Siraj had decided to stay in Australia despite losing his father just before the series. The seamer wanted to fulfil his father’s dream of representing the country at the highest level. Siraj even got emotional while singing the national anthem at the start of the Sydney Test.

Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah were subject to racist remarks from a section of Australian fans at the SCG on Day 3 of the Test. The seamer reported the incident to the Indian Captain Ajinkya Rahane when he received the same treatment from the crowd on Day 4. The two umpires came together and the play was halted and resumed only after 6 fans were evicted from the SCG.

“I still remember walking up to Siraj, he actually had tears in his eyes and tears rolling down his cheeks. So it obviously really affected him and cut him really deep. This is a kid, who has just gone through the death of his father. And then to have that I just thought was uncalled for,” Tim Paine said in the Voot documentary Bandon Mein Tha Dum.

“Traditionally in Australia, we have been pretty good at how we treat our visiting cricketing teams. So to see it happen again was disappointing,” he added.

After the incident Australian Cricket Board released a statement apologising to the Indian cricket team for the racist remarks made by a section of fans in Sydney, saying such behaviour from the crowd was not acceptable. The Australian Board also launched an investigation into the incident.

Marred by injuries and racial abuse, the Indian team was desperate to make a statement through their performance on the field. The team battled hard for a heroic draw in the 3^rd Test before breaching the Gabba fortress and winning the series by defeating Australia for the first time in 32 years at the venue.