'Australians should get back to being mongrels': Gavaskar hits out at crowd's hypocrisy, sides with Siraj's aggression
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar is not impressed with the Australian crowd booing Mohammed Siraj following the spat with Travis Head in Adelaide.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is proving to be one hell of a spectacle and the five-match series between Australia and India is living up to everyone's expectations. The marquee series reached a tipping point in Adelaide as Travis Head and Mohammed Siraj clashed in the middle, leading to the latter being docked 20 per cent of his match fees. Australia walked away as the winners in Adelaide, levelling the series, however, the major talking point was the altercation between Head and Siraj.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said it is understandable why Siraj got pumped up after dismissing Head. The 1983 World Cup-winning hero also said that pacers can find it tough to maintain self-control once they are under pressure.
After dismissing Travis Head (140) in the first innings, Mohammed Siraj gave a fiery send-off to the Australian batter, much to the displeasure of the Adelaide crowd. Fans then booed the Indian pacer as well.
The booing continued on Day 1 of the third Test between India and Australia at the Gabba, Brisbane and the Indian pacer did look rattled by the hostile reception coming his way.
"Head’s explosive batting is a delight to watch, but opposition bowlers are never amused. No wonder Mohammed Siraj, who was flicked nonchalantly for a six the ball before, was pumped up when he knocked over the local hero’s stumps," Sunil Gavaskar wrote in a column for Sydney Morning Herald.
"Who said what to whom will be debated endlessly. Both players ended up with demerit points against their names, with Siraj being lighter in the pocket, too, with a fine. Fast bowlers by nature are aggressive on the field, and when the red mist comes down, it can be hard for them to keep self-control," he added.
'Siraj getting stick from all saints'
Sunil Gavaskar didn't mince any words as he took potshots at the Australian public for booing Siraj in Adelaide. However, he also expressed some surprise with the reaction of the Indian pacer.
"Siraj is getting the stick from all the “saints” in Australian cricket who, of course, were known for their impeccable behaviour on the field. It may have incensed Australian fans that Siraj’s fiery send-off was directed at Head, who scored a magnificent century and was also the local boy," wrote Gavaskar.
"But the same people will cheer if an Aussie quick gives a similar send-off to an English batter during next summer’s Ashes. There were some suggestions in the media that the Australians should get back to being the mongrels they once were. So, do mongrels simply purr, or do they bark, too," he added.
Expressing surprise with the reaction of Siraj after sending Travis Head back to the hut, Gavaskar wrote, "Siraj’s outburst was surprising because if the Indian Premier League has done one thing, apart from making Aussie cricketers and coaches millionaires, it has also taken away to a huge extent the animosity that previously existed in the game."
"Make no mistake, as we have seen in the two Test matches so far, the intensity and fierce pride of playing for one’s country has not diminished, but uncouth and ugly behaviour has been almost eradicated. Now it’s mainly the bat and the ball that do the talking, and that’s how it should be. It may no longer be a gentleman’s game, but it is still a hard game played with a hard ball by hard men. And hard men do swear when the going gets hard," he stated further.
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