Pat Cummins' no-nonsense take on Mohammed Siraj-Travis Head spat in Adelaide: 'Big boy, can talk for himself'
Australia captain Pat Cummins has given his take on the Travis Head-Mohammed Siraj row in Adelaide.
Staying true to his nature, Australia captain Pat Cummins is not too worried about the entire spat between Travis Head and India pacer Mohammed Siraj during the Adelaide pink ball Test. Cummins who took a five-wicket haul in the second innings of the day-night Test said that he is not concerned with what India does in the middle as his focus is just on his team and teammates.
Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head were involved in a heated exchange on Day 2. Things reached a boiling point after the Indian pacer gave a fiery send-off. On the next day, Siraj then publicly disputed Head's account of what transpired between the pair.
Travis Head claimed that he told Siraj 'well bowled' when the pacer went about his extravagant celebration. However, the India speedster said that the Australian batter did not say any such thing and rather he was "lying."
"To be honest, they (India) can do whatever they want. I'm more worried about our boys but like always I thought our boys' behaviour was excellent this week like it seems to be every week. It's heated, it's a big series. There's been packed crowds all of the days so there's a lot riding on it," Cummins said at the post-match press conference.
"As a general rule, you let the boys be themselves. If you need to step in and intervene then as captain I would, but for our group I never really feel like I've had to do that. Travis Head is vice-captain of the team. He's a big boy, he can talk for himself," he added.
Travis Head and Siraj patch things up
Mohammed Siraj was booed mercilessly by the Adelaide crowd after his exchange with the hometown hero Travis Head. When he returned to his fielding position on the boundary line on Day 2, Siraj was also seen gesturing towards the crowd to get them to make even more noise.
However, after the end of the Adelaide Test which Australia won by 10 wickets, Travis Head and Mohammed Siraj were seen exchanging a handshake and brief hug.
After the game ended, Travis Head told ABC Grandstand, "He's (Siraj) come out then and said it was a little bit of a misunderstanding … I think we'll move on."
"We've had a great week, so let's not ruin it … I'm sweet, and I think he's the same, and we move on," he added.
Coming back to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the five-match series currently stands level at 1-1. India and Australia will square off in the third Test at the Gabba, Brisbane, beginning December 14.