Mohammed Siraj rattled by harsh treatment from Gabba crowd as Adelaide's bad blood spills to Brisbane with loud boos
Mohammed Siraj was booed everytime he ran in to bowl on Day 1 of the India vs Australia 3rd Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
India pacer Mohammed Siraj continued to receive harsh treatment from the Australian spectators as the Brisbane crowd booed him the moment he ran in to bowl in the third Test of the Border-Gavakasr Trophy. India won their third toss in a row, but this time around, they chose to bowl first. Jasprit Bumrah bowled a good first over to Usman Khawaja to start things off. Siraj got the new ball from the other end, but as soon as run in, loud boos echoed at the Gabba, and it continued for the rest of the over.
The seeds for the boos at the Gabba were sown during the second Test in Adelaide when Siraj gave an animated send-off to local hero Travis Head after dismissing the left-hander for a match-winning 140. Siraj's reaction was perhaps because of the boundaries that Head hit him earlier in the over with the second new ball. Both players shared different versions of the incident. Head revealed saying, "well bowled," which the India pacer dismissed as lies.
The ICC sanctioned Siraj and Head. The India pacer lost 20% of his match fees, but the Australian got away with just a demerit point.
India make two changes
India made two changes to the side, which was beaten by 10 wickets in the day-night test in Adelaide, with Ravindra Jadeja replacing spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Akash Deep replacing struggling paceman Harshit Rana.
Australia made only one change, with quick Josh Hazlewood replacing Scott Boland after recovering from a side injury.
Rohit, whose poor form with the bat has heaped pressure on his captaincy, will continue to bat at number six, with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal retained as the opening combination.
With the five-test series poised at 1-1, the Gabba pitch had a green tinge on a steamy, overcast morning, promising a stiff examination for Australia's top order.
"There's a lot of grass and it looks a little soft as well so we want to try and make the best use of the conditions and try and see what we can do with the ball up front," said Rohit, who added the mood in the Indian dressing room was "absolutely buzzing".
"The guys are looking forward to the test match. It's been always nice to come here and play some really good cricket and yeah, when you talk about how everyone's feeling, they want to come out here and showcase themselves."
Australia captain Pat Cummins was coy on what he would have chosen if he won the toss.
"It's been a fantastic series so far," he said. "I think we're going to sell out at the Gabba today so I'm sure it's going to be pretty lively out there."
Australia (Playing XI): Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep
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