The Indian cricket team has lodged an official complaint with match referee David Boon for racial abuse against its pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj by spectators during the third day’s play in the Sydney Test.
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Sportstar understands that the Indian team managment has formally lodged the complaint after discussing the issue in detail with match officials and security officials. The ball is now in ICC's court, the governing body which has a no-tolerance policy for racism.
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Immediately after the end of Saturday’s play, a group of senior India cricketers, including captain Ajinkya Rahane and R. Ashwin, had an intense discussion with umpires Paul Reiffel and Paul Wilson.
While Cheteshwar Pujara evaded the issue in the post-match interaction, a BCCI insider confirmed that the discussion between the players and officials was about the alleged racial abuse incident.
“A group of spectators hurled racial slurs and gestures that were quite similar to the incident in Mumbai in 2007,” said the source.
It is understood that besides the pace duo, spectators also harassed a member of the support staff and a ball-boy of Indian descent.
In the 2007-08 series, a controversy had erupted when Andrew Symonds accused Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh of calling him a monkey while in a verbal altercation during the Sydney Test. It is better known as the 'monkeygate scandal'.
