India spat builds as Australia chief calls Kohli’s cheating accusations ‘outrageous’
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Published 08/03/2017 at 11:09 GMT
A bad-tempered series between India and Australia shows no sign of lightening up after Cricket Australia CEO published an inflammatory statement on Wednesday.
Australian captain Steve Smith, (C), vice captain David Warner (2L) and the Indian team wait for the third umpire's decision on Australian David Warner's appeal for his LBW dismissal during the fourth day of the second Test match between India and Austral
Image credit: AFP
Australia collapsed to defeat in the second test in India, but reaction back home was dominated by Virat Kohli’s accusations that Aussie captain Steve Smith had cheated by looking to the dressing room for advice when weighing up whether or not to appeal a dismissal.
There did appear to be clear evidence that Smith had acted as Kohli claimed.
While the player himself seemed to admit to the wrongdoing when he called it a “brain fade” after the match.
The match referee has reportedly said that Smith will not face punishment over the incident, but Kohli was not happy to let it lie and took umbrage with Australia’s “brain fade” defence:
"Honestly, if someone makes a mistake while batting, for me, personally, that's a brain fade. The way I left the ball in Pune, you know, getting hit on the off stump. That was a brain fade. But if something is going on for three days, then that's not a brain fade, as simple as that. I don't want to say more on that, videos are out there for everyone to see.
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Indian captain Virat Kohli reacts as he walks back to the pavilion for tea break during the fourth day of the second Test match between India and Australia at The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on March 7, 2017
Image credit: AFP
"I saw that two times happening when I was batting out there," Kohli continued. "I pointed it out to the umpire as well, that it's happened twice, that I've seen their players looking upstairs for confirmation, and that's why the umpire was at him.
"When he turned back the umpire knew exactly what was going on, because we observed that, we told match referee also, and the umpires, that they've been doing that for the last three days and this has to stop, because there's a line that you don't cross on the cricket field, because sledging and playing against the opponents is different, but… I don't want to mention the word, but it falls in that bracket. I would never do something like that on the cricket field."
Kohli’s abrasive on-field nature and strongly-worded criticism contributed to an outraged reaction from the Australian media, who took the Indian captain to be accusing the visiting team of outright cheating, with the Sydney Morning Herald’s headline exclaiming: "Kohli all but accuses Australia of cheating after epic Indian Test win".
And Cricket Australia’s CEO James Sutherland has added fuel to the fire with a confrontational statement.
I find the allegations questioning the integrity of Steve Smith, the Australian team and the dressing room, outrageous. We reject any commentary that suggests our integrity was brought into disrepute or that systemic unfair tactics are used, and stand by Steve and the Australian cricketers who are proudly representing our country.
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