Virat Kohli, leading the side in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, was at his animated best as Prasidh Krishna picked up his third wicket in Australia’s run chase on day three of the SCG Test.
Been set 162 to win after India’s tail collapsed early in the first session, Australia got off to a flier with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh bowling wayward lines. Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja looked much more assured with Bumrah unfit to bowl and the low target aided their confidence.
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Konstas, however, perished attempting a wild swipe off Prasidh and Marnus Labuschagne followed when he hit one to gully off Prasidh, undone by the extra bounce the Indian pacer got.
But the biggest prize came when the pacer had Steve Smith in trouble with his extra bounce. This was followed by Kohli mocking the Aussies by showing his empty pockets to the crowd, a gesture implying the absence of sandpaper. The moment, captured on video, quickly went viral online.
The playful jibe came during the morning session of play and seemed to reference the infamous “Sandpapergate” scandal that rocked Australian cricket in March 2018. In that incident, players Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft were caught tampering with the ball during a match against South Africa. Smith and Warner received one-year bans, while Bancroft, who used sandpaper on the ball, faced a nine-month suspension.
Prasidh’s early burst put India back into the match at the SCG despite Bumrah’s absence. The key wickets of Konstas, Labuschagne and Smith had the Aussies three down at lunch on day three with still over 90 runs to get.
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