India lodge official complaint after Siraj, Bumrah face racial abuse at Sydney

A tour that had managed to steer clear of controversies so far tasted its first dose at the end of day’s play on third day of Sydney Test. Team India is learnt to have lodged an official complaint to the match officials after two its fast bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, were racially abused by a section of crowd during the match.

The International Cricket Council has taken a note of the matter.

"The tour has surely turned sour and the last thing you expect in a civilized society is racial abuse. The ICC (International Cricket Council) and Cricket Australia need to be very responsive to this as the possible alternatives are not very pleasant for cricket, especially during the present circumstances. The Sydney Test has now become an acid test for CA interim CEO Nick Hockley and we are in complete solidarity with our boys. Racial abuse is unacceptable," a BCCI official was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

In the past too, India’s tour of Australia has been marred with controversies during the New Year Tests in Sydney. During his first tour to Australia with the senior team Virat Kohli had a run-in with the crowd.

And the 2008 series saw the two teams come face to face with the Monkey-gate episode that had threatened to dent the relationship between the cricketers of the two countries.