India captain Rohit Sharma shared his thoughts on the heated verbal battle between Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head in the second BGT 2024 Test. Australia won the Test by 10 wickets to level the five-match series 1-1.
Travis Head was named the Player of the Match, thanks to his amazing knock of 140, which helped Australia get a 157-run lead over India in the first innings. India had been bowled out for 180 runs in Adelaide Oval with the pink ball, with Mitchell Starc taking a six-fer.
Then Australia posted 337 runs thanks to Head’s ton and 64 by Marnus Labuschagne. In reply, India could only muster 175 in their second innings and Australia chased down the 19-run target without losing a wicket.
The match's highlight was the fiery sendoff given by Siraj to Head after he had cleaned him up with an excellent yorker. Both players engaged in a verbal duel after Siraj signaled Head to get back to the pavilion in an aggressive manner.
India captain Rohit Sharma has now opened up on the exchange, saying these things can happen in a heated contest between two powerhouse teams.
"I was standing at the slips. I don't know what was exchanged, but two competitive teams are going at each other. These things happen. You know, Travis was batting well, obviously our plan was to get him out. And on the other side, Travis wanted to try and put our bowlers under pressure. And we got the wicket, he celebrated it," Rohit Sharma told reporters at the post-match press conference.
"There were obviously few words changed within the two of them. I exactly don't know what was said, because my job is not just to look at that one incident. I am focused on the overall picture or the overall touch match. But again, I don't think we can look too much into that. You know, when India and Australia always play, these things happen. And these are now just part of the game," he added.
In the aftermath, as Head was walking back to the pavilion, the Adelaide crowd went from cheering their local hero, to booing Mohammed Siraj for his send off. However, Rohit Sharma stated that crowd booing Mohammed Siraj and trying to get under his skin would not have any impact on the Indian pacer as he knows how to handle big and hostile crowds.
"He likes to get into the battle, as simple as that. It gives him success. And as a captain, it's my job, you know, to back that aggression. Obviously, there is a fine line between that. We don't want to cross anything that can bring disputes into the game. But obviously, having a word or two with the opposition is not a bad thing. And he likes it, and that's what gets him going," said Rohit Sharma.
"In the past, we have seen so many cricketers who like that battle, and Siraj is definitely one of them. But again, like I said, there's a thin line between getting aggressive and getting too aggressive and crossing that line. Obviously, as a captain, it is also my responsibility to make sure that we don't cross the line, you know? But, yeah, a word or two here and there I don't think makes a huge difference," he added.
When asked about the crowd behavior and whether it will impact Siraj, Rohit said, "I don't think it matters too much. We are you. I mean, all our guys are used to playing in such big crowds. Things go well, they support. Things don't go well, they don't support that. That happens everywhere."
"But Siraj knows what he needs to do for the team and he will do everything that is required. Leaving the external factor aside, his job is to take wickets and he will do everything he can to try and get wickets for his team. All those things that happen outside, you know, guys are quite mature now to keep those things outside, not to let them affect their game," he added.
The two teams will next clash in the third Test at the Gabba in Brisbane from December 14 onwards.
(ANI inputs)
