'Travis Head lied in the press conference': Mohammed Siraj ends silence on 'send-off' row

Mohammed Siraj reacted strongly after Travis Head put out his story on being given a fiery send-off by the Indian pacer in 2nd Test.

Controversy erupted during Day 2 of the second Test between India and Australia on Saturday, when Mohammed Siraj's fiery send-off to Travis Head sparked a tussle between the two. As Siraj castled Head after the Aussie batter smashed a brilliant 140 off just 141 deliveries, the bowler celebrated aggressively, seemingly pointing towards the dressing room; Head, in turn, had a strong response, too, as the duo engaged in a heated verbal exchange.

Indian bowler Mohammed Siraj (L) gestures to Australian batsman Travis Head (R) on the second day of the second Test (AFP)

But while Head later stated in the press conference that he only said “well bowled” to Siraj, the Indian bowler has now reacted to the remark, stating that Head is lying. During an interview with Harbhajan Singh on Star Sports ahead of the start of Day 3, Siraj presented his side of the story, stating that while he enjoyed the battle with Head, the Australian batter's post-match remarks weren't true.

“I enjoyed bowling at him because it was a good battle. When you get hit for a good delivery, it fills you with even more energy. I celebrated after the bowled dismissal, and you saw what he said on TV. I didn't say anything on TV, he lied in the press conference that he told me 'well bowled'. We know it wasn't that,” said Siraj.

“We don't disrespect anyone. Cricket is a gentleman's game, but the way he did what he did was wrong,” Siraj added.

Siraj did face flak over his aggressive celebration after dismissing Head, with former India captain Sunil Gavaskar also criticising the pacer.

“Unnecessary, if you ask me, the man’s got 140, he hasn’t got four or five or something. He got 140, you’re giving him a send-off, that’s totally uncalled for,” Gavaskar said during the tea-time show on Star Sports.

Head was dropped off Siraj's bowling

Travis Head single-handedly took control of the Indian bowlers with a counter-attacking masterclass, smashing 17 fours and 4 sixes in his scintillating knock. His explosive innings propelled Australia to a dominant 157-run first-innings lead, as they posted 337 in response to India's 180.

However, Siraj had an early opportunity to dismiss Head when the Australian batter was on 76. A tricky catch off Ravichandran Ashwin's bowling, though, went down, allowing Head to continue his assault.