Indian firebrand Mohammed Siraj accused Travis Head of lying and abusing him in their heated clash during the second Test.
Siraj dismissed Australian spinner Head on Saturday in the second Test in Adelaide and could face a sanction from the International Cricket Council.
Head expressed his disappointment with the Indian fast bowler after receiving a verbal barrage from Siraj, who also gestured towards the dressing room after bowling the Australian batsman for 140.
With Head responding with some words of his own, the incident is sure to be closely scrutinized by Adelaide Test match referee Ranjan Madugalle.
“I actually joked with him and said ‘well played’ and then he pointed me to the sheds,” Head told reporters after the game.
‘I would like a better reaction (from Siraj). I was surprised by the reaction regarding the situation of the game.
Mohammed Siraj accused Travis Head of lying and abusing him in their heated confrontation.
‘I felt like I was probably, yeah, a little bit far away at the time.
‘And that’s why I’m disappointed by the reaction I gave him, but I’m also going to defend myself.
‘I’d like to think that in our team we wouldn’t do that. “It’s not how I would like to play and I feel like my teammates are the same.”
Siraj responded to Head in an interview with Indian broadcaster Star Sports ahead of Sunday’s game in Adelaide.
In the interview, conducted in Hindi, Siraj said Head had lied.
“After bowling him, I celebrated and then he abused me,” Siraj said in comments translated into English by the India Today website.
‘You can also see it on television.
“At first it was my celebration, I didn’t say anything to him.
Siraj dismissed Australian century-maker Head on Saturday in the second Test in Adelaide and could face a ban from the International Cricket Council.
Head later said he felt the fast Indian had gone too far.
‘At the press conference, he said the wrong thing. He lied.
‘In no way did he say ‘well thrown’.
‘We respect everyone. I always respect everyone because cricket is a gentleman’s game.
‘Travis Head’s actions were wrong. I didn’t feel good.’
Former Australia captain Mark Taylor asked India’s senior core to warn Siraj.
“I wish someone would say something to Mohammed Siraj,” Taylor told the Willow Talk podcast.
‘I like his competitive nature. He is a good bowler…
“Someone like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli needs to come up to him and say, ‘Mate, yes, get excited, be aggressive, take on the batsmen, love all that, but that’s disrespecting the game and the umpire.'”
After the incident, Siraj was loudly and repeatedly booed by the crowd in Head’s hometown.
Travis Head scored 140 off 141 deliveries on Saturday
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said he could understand the public reaction and described Siraj’s dismissal as “unnecessary”.
“The man (Head) is 140, he hasn’t been out for one or two,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
“You can’t fire someone who has batted brilliantly and has won over the public.
‘Instead of becoming a hero for firing him, Siraj has become the villain.
“If Siraj had simply applauded Head after his dismissal, he would have been a hero to everyone in the stadium.
“Instead, he took the piss from the crowd, and understandably so.”