India captain Rohit Sharma reacts to the heated exchange between Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head in the Adelaide Test. India might have lost the Adelaide Test against Australia by ten wickets, but the entire focus has shifted to the heated exchange between Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head after the latter was dismissed on Day 2 of the second Test of the five-match series. There have been different versions of the argument with Travis Head first saying that he just said “well bowled” to the Indian pacer.
However, before the start of play on Day 3, Siraj alleged that Travis Head lied and did not compliment his bowling, saying everyone could read what was actually said in the middle. 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.
‘Crowd booing Siraj won’t have any impact on him’
Rohit Sharma also said that the 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. After Mohammed Siraj gave a send-off to hometown hero Head, the Adelaide crowd booed Siraj mercilessly. The back-and-forth between the crowd and Siraj continued on Day 3 of the second Test as well. “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 dispute 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 behaviour 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.
