Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head were engaged in a war of words during the recently concluded fixture between India and Australia in Adelaide. The game saw Australia win by 10 wickets and level the five-match series 1-1.
The incident happened on Saturday, when Head was all over the Indian bowlers and striking it from the meat of the bat on his home ground. The southpaw got a standing ovation from the crowd as he hit a hundred and followed it up with his animated gesture to dedicate the knock to his new-born son.
In the 82nd over, Siraj bowled a dipping yorker and Head failed to bring his willow back on time and the ball crashed onto the stumps. Just when he was returning back for a terrific knock of 140 off 141, Siraj signaled Head to head back to the dressing room with his gesture in an aggressive manner.
In response, Travis Head hurled back with a few words to which Siraj also responded in a similar manner. Head was visibly taken aback by Siraj’s reply, as he apparently told the pacer to ‘f*ck you”. Thereafter, Siraj was booed by the Adelaide crowd for the rest of the day.
In the post-day press conference, Head asserted that he jokingly told “well bowled” to Siraj, but the situation went a little too far. However, during an interaction with Harbhajan Singh on Star Sports, Siraj denied Head’s claim and said:
“What he said in the press conference wasn’t right, it’s a lie that he said ‘well bowled’ to me. It’s there for everyone to see that that’s not what he said to me.”
Rohit Sharma’s take on Mohammed Siraj-Travis Head heated exchange
In the post-match press conference, Rohit Sharma answered a reporter’s question about the verbal exchange between Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head. Although Rohit didn’t know the exact words, he feels it is bound to happen when two competitive teams are up against each other.
However, Rohit backed Siraj to continue with his aggressive mindset, as it pushed him to perform at his best and has given him success over the years. But, Rohit acknowledged that it’s his responsibility to keep that aggression in check.
“He (Siraj) likes to get into the batters, as simple as that,” Rohit said.
“It gives him success and as a captain it’s my job to back their aggression. Obviously there is a fine line between that, and 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 (Siraj) likes it.
FAQs
How many test wickets does Mohammed Siraj have?
89 scalps in 33 games
What is Travis Head’s record in Adelaide?
634 runs in 7 matches @79.25
