It’s turning out to be an event tour for Mohammed Siraj.
However the memories are turning out to be sweet and bitter at the same time.
On Sunday, Play was halted for close to 10 minutes after Mohammed Siraj walked up from the square-leg boundary and complained of racial slurs at the end of the 86th over in Australia’s second innings.
Siraj was hit for a couple of sixes by young Australian all-rounder Cameron Green in the previous over and he had settled on the square-leg boundary when he heard the racial remarks.
Six offenders were ejected from the ground.
This is the second time in this match the Indian team has been subjected to racial abuse. On Saturday, the Indian team had lodged an official complaint after play, after bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj complained of hearing racist slurs while fielding near the boundary rope.
The authorities have reacted angrily to these incidents.
“As series hosts, we unreservedly apologise to our friends in the Indian cricket team and assure them we will prosecute the matter to its fullest extent,” Sean Carroll, Cricket Australia’s head of integrity and security, said in a statement outlining the zero-tolerance policy toward racism.
“Cricket Australia condemns in the strongest terms possible all discriminatory behaviour. If you engage in racist abuse, you are not welcome in Australian cricket.”
Australia coach Justin Langer joined the condemnation.
“It’s upsetting and it’s disappointing,” he said. “It’s one of my greatest pet hates in life that people think they can come to a sporting event and abuse or say whatever they like.
“I hated it as a player and I hate it as a coach. It’s really sad to see it happen in Australia.”
India’s Ravichandran Ashwin said the team had been insulted by Sydney spectators in the past but the racial abuse had crossed a line during the ongoing match, which is being played in front of a reduced crowd of less than 10,000.
We hope that these incidents don’t happen again and the guilty parties are penalised immediately.
