- Virat Kohli irritated the SCG crowd with a mocking gesture
- An eventful series accelerates toward a dramatic conclusion
Another controversial moment occurred during the Australia vs India Test series with superstar Virat Kohli irritating the SCG crowd with a mocking gesture.
Australia need 91 runs to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade after Scott Boland completed a six-wicket haul as India were bowled out on a devilish SCG pitch.
An eventful series accelerates towards a dramatic conclusion on day three after 30 wickets were taken in less than seven sessions of the decisive fifth Test.
Star batsman and stand-in captain Kohli was seen irritating Australian fans and mocking them over the 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal, also known as Sandpapergate.
The crowd was booing Kohli before lunchtime, so the Indian star decided to give it back.
Kohli proceeded to show the crowd his empty pockets to remind them of Australia’s cheating during the 2018 tour of South Africa.
Superstar Virat Kohli enraged the SCG crowd on Sunday during the fifth Test
Kohli mocked Australian crowd over 2018 Sandpapergate scandal
Cricket fans were quick to respond on social media.
“Virat Kohli indicates he’s not wearing sandpaper by showing his empty pockets to the Australian crowd, this is absolute cinema,” one fan posted.
“Another desperate attempt to seek attention to cover his average of 26 in this series, Kohli now brings up the sandpaper incident, this guy will do anything but contribute,” replied another.
“King Kohli is on fire,” a third responded.
India lasted less than 45 minutes on the third day, losing their last four wickets to add just 16 runs and a total of 157 – 161 runs ahead of Australia.
Stand-in pacer Boland (6-45) confirmed the second five-fer of his Test career when Mohammad Siraj edged him off Usman Khawaja in the ninth-wicket slips around 40 minutes after the restart on Sunday.
Boland has made use of an uncharacteristically green SCG ground, finding plenty of movement en route to 10 wickets for the game, and a headache for the selectors ahead of the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.
The soft-spoken Victorian had never won that many in a match during 13 Tests for Australia.
The star batsman was booed on Sunday and decided to give it back to the Australian fans.
The series moves towards a dramatic conclusion on the third day.
In encouraging signs for India, stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah managed to bat after leaving the SCG with back spasms on the second day and giving the Indian camp a scare.
He had little opportunity to show his movement as he underwent scans on Saturday; India’s innings ended when Boland bowled it after three deliveries.
India were on the bowlers just 10 minutes into play on Jane McGrath Day, the pink crowd ecstatic when Ravindra Jadeja hit Pat Cummins with Alex Carey behind the stumps.
Captain Cummins (3-44) then picked up the middle stump of Washington Sundar to signal that the end was near for the tourists.
If Australia loses in Sydney, India will draw the series 2-2 and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, having won the last four Test series between the two cricketing powerhouses.
A defeat would also leave Australia reliant on results during their upcoming tour of Sri Lanka to confirm a place in the World Test Championship final over the winter.