Former India spinner Murali Kartik has backed Usman Khawaja in the reignited 2018 "Sandpapergate" controversy, strongly rejecting Australian Test captain Pat Cummins's claims that the bowling attack was unaware of the ball-tampering plot.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Kartik argued that tampering is done specifically to benefit the bowlers, making it unbelievable that they were kept in the dark.
Kartik noted that while a quick investigation led to three players (Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft) being punished, the broader team dynamics on the field make it implausible that the rest of the squad was completely oblivious.
"When it happened, there was a mini probe and three players were sent to the galley. Everyone knew what was happening. The problem is that if and when something like this happens, it's for the sake of the bowlers. 'Devious, underhand, wrong' - let's not go there. Once that is happening, and if I am the bowler while the other two guys are doing it for me, I don't know how anyone can say that I didn't know about it. How can anyone say that?" Kartik said.
"I was surprised that only three guys had to bear the brunt of it. Everybody, all the bowlers, would've known. When you're trying to do something for the sake of the bowlers, wouldn't you tell the bowlers? How can anyone believe that? Are we in kindergarten to accept that sort of thing? There have been so many murmurs: 'Oh, Warner is going to come out with a tell-all. Warner is going to tell the story once he is done with everything.' It's not him, it's Usman Khawaja who has come out and said that everybody knew. I am pretty sure everybody knew. They are all trying to stay on the same page," he added.
The ball-tampering scandal returned to the spotlight following the release of Khawaja's autobiography, Sabr.
In his book, Khawaja claimed that the entire Australian team was aware of the plan to use sandpaper on the ball during the Cape Town Test against South Africa in March 2018.
On Friday (November 13), Cummins held a lengthy press conference in Sydney to address the explosive revelations. He firmly denied any prior knowledge of the plot and dismissed Khawaja's assertion that he and others were architects of the scheme as "complete and utter nonsense".
In the original 2018 incident, Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper on the ball. As a result, he was handed a nine-month suspension by Cricket Australia while then-captain Smith and vice-captain Warner were banned for 12 months.
