India pacer Mohammed Siraj has been drawing flak from the Australian media and their former cricketers for some his on-field antics during the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval.
On Day 1 of the match, Siraj came under scrutiny for throwing the ball angrily at the stumps after Marnus Labuschagne backed away due to a distraction.
On the second day, the right-arm quick hogged the headlines for his fiery send-off to Travis Head, who smashed 140 to set-up Australia’s 10-wicket victory in Adelaide.
Another act of Siraj that seemed to have offended the ex-Aussie cricketers is his celebratory gestures. He was so sure of Labuschagne’s LBW dismissal that he started running down the wicket with his arms in the air without even looking at the umpire, who gave it not out and replays confirmed that there was an inside edge onto the pads.
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor also finds Siraj’s premature celebrations irritating as he suggested the senior Indian players to have a word with the pacer.
"I think with Mohammed Siraj, I'd like to see some of the Indian players have a chat with him, not so much what happened with Travis Head but how when he thinks he's got a batter out he doesn't turn around and actually acknowledge the umpire whether he's given it out or not," Taylor told Nine News.
"I think that's the bad look for him and the game. I love his exuberance, I love his competitive nature, I love the fact we've got a really good series going on but there is also the respect of the game that needs to be upheld. I think a little word from one of the senior players would go a long way," he added.
The altercation with Head has led to Siraj being docked 20 per cent of his match fees for breaching Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Both players were also handed one demerit point each on their disciplinary records.
"I love the combative nature of Head and Siraj, but it has to be kept in check because the last thing we want to see in this game is that developing into a batsman maybe whacking a bowler.
"They get close together in that sort of situation and you don't want to see that. So the administrators need to keep a check on that, and so do the two captains," Taylor remarked.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy currently stands level at 1-1, with the third Test scheduled to be played in Brisbane from December 14.
(With PTI Inputs)
