Sunil Gavaskar questions Australian cricket fans’ ‘double standards’ over Mohammed Siraj’s fiery send-off, says…

New Delhi: Sunil Gavaskar has publicly expressed his disapproval towards both the Australian cricketers and spectators for the demeaning depiction of Mohammed Siraj, triggered by Siraj’s altercation with Travis Head in the Adelaide Test. An energetically passionate farewell given by Siraj to Head upon claiming his wicket on Day 2 stirred up emotions. Siraj faced a constant barrage of jeers from the crowd in Adelaide as he was performing both his bowling and batting duties.

Every time the Indian speedster prepared to hurl the ball in Brisbane, the crowd showered him with boos. Writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, Gavaskar pointed out, rather bemusedly, the fickleness of the Australian spectators. He mused that if their own player had pulled a similar move on a star opponent, they would have likely cheered him on.

“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.”

“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?” said Gavaskar.

Unfortunately, Siraj and Head found themselves on the wrong side of the ICC, accumulating demerit points due to their conduct. To top it off, Siraj, the speedster, had to suffer a hit of 20 percent on his match fees.

Gavaskar was taken aback by Siraj’s sudden flare-up, especially given that the heat between the teams has cooled off significantly with the emergence of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“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,” said Gavaskar.