In the quiet after a long and stubborn draw in Sydney, India's stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane stood before the cameras to name a wrong that had shadowed his bowlers across several days: racist abuse from people in the stands. It is an old and ugly human habit, appearing again in a game meant to be about skill and endurance, and it asks the sport whether its grounds can protect the people playing on them. Rahane's plain words, and his team's formal complaint now under review, place this moment within a longer struggle over who belongs on the field and who is made to feel they do not.
Rahane Calls Racist Abuse of Siraj and Bumrah at SCG 'Not Acceptable' as India Lodges Official Complaint
Indian players Mohammad Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah were reportedly subjected to racial abuse from spectators during the Sydney Test.
Should not happen anywhere in the world
Mark
Why did Rahane lead with the crowd rather than the draw?
Mimi
Because the draw was a sporting story and this was a question of how his players were treated. He said it should not happen anywhere in the world.
Mark
What did India actually do about it?
Mimi
They lodged an official complaint on Saturday, and Rahane spoke to the match referee and umpires. On day four he and Siraj raised it with umpire Paul Reiffel.
Luke
Be careful with the wording, though. The abuse is described as racial, but the report doesn't quote what was said. The television visuals only suggested words were directed at Siraj.
Mark
But something happened that led to action?
Mimi
Yes. Police asked a group of men to leave the stand after the umpires conferred.
Luke
True, though the report doesn't say those men were the ones responsible, or that they were removed for racist abuse specifically. That link is implied, not stated.
Mark
What's still unknown?
Luke
The outcome of the complaint. Rahane only said officials are looking into it. No findings, no sanctions, no timeline.
Mimi
And the players' own account of it, beyond Rahane saying the team was upset, isn't in this piece.
Mark
So the story points to what happens next?
Mimi
To the review, and to the Gabba, where the series gets decided.
El Pulso
- Racial abuse aimed at Mohammad Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah from SCG spectators has jolted a Test that was already a grind for India.
- Siraj raised the matter directly with umpire Paul Reiffel, and the two umpires conferred as police moved a group of men out of the stand.
- India lodged an official complaint, and Rahane spoke with the match referee and umpires, pressing for action beyond the final whistle.
- With the third Test drawn and the series level at 1-1, the complaint now sits with officials, and its outcome will signal how racist conduct is handled before the Gabba decider.
In the quiet after a long and stubborn draw in Sydney, India's stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane stood before the cameras to name a wrong that had shadowed his bowlers across several days: racist abuse from people in the stands. It is an old and ugly human habit, appearing again in a game meant to be about skill and endurance, and it asks the sport whether its grounds can protect the people playing on them. Rahane's plain words, and his team's formal complaint now under review, place this moment within a longer struggle over who belongs on the field and who is made to feel they do not.
On Monday, Ajinkya Rahane spoke plainly after the third Test in Sydney about what his bowlers had endured. India's stand-in captain said the racial abuse directed at Mohammad Siraj over the third and fourth days was unacceptable anywhere in the world.
The team had already acted. On Saturday it lodged an official complaint after spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground abused Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah over the second and third days. Rahane had also spoken with the match referee and umpires, and he said the team was deeply upset.
The abuse continued into day four. Siraj and Rahane went to umpire Paul Reiffel to report the crowd's behaviour. Police then asked a group of men to leave the stand.
The match itself ended in a draw, leaving the series level at 1-1 with the Gabba still to come. India survived through a long defensive stand by Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari, who batted out 258 balls. Vihari, playing through a hamstring injury, finished unbeaten on 23, and Ashwin made 39.
Rahane described the numbness in the final overs, when the players were counting down the balls. The message at tea had been simple: one ball at a time. The complaint remains under review, and how officials respond will shape how racist conduct from the stands is treated for the rest of the series.
On Monday, Ajinkya Rahane sat down for a virtual press conference after the third Test in Sydney and spoke plainly about what his bowlers had endured from the crowd. India's stand-in captain said the treatment of Mohammad Siraj, over the third and fourth days of the Pink Test against Australia, was not acceptable and should not happen anywhere in the world.
The Indian team had already acted. On Saturday it lodged an official complaint after spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground racially abused pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj over the second and third days of the match. Rahane said officials are now looking into the matter. He had also spoken directly to the match referee and the umpires about what happened on the field, and he said the team was really upset about it.
The abuse did not stop with the complaint. On day four, Siraj and Rahane went to umpire Paul Reiffel to raise the unruly behaviour of the crowd. Television visuals suggested words had been directed at Siraj, who was fielding near the boundary rope. The two umpires then conferred with each other, and police asked a group of men to leave the stand.
The cricket carried on around all of this. The third Test ended in a draw on Monday, leaving the four-match series level at 1-1 with the final Test to be played at the Gabba. India got there through a long defensive effort by Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari, who together batted out 258 balls against a home side throwing everything at them.
Vihari, playing through a hamstring injury, finished unbeaten on 23 from 161 balls. Ashwin made 39 off 128. With the injured Ravindra Jadeja waiting in the pavilion, the pair knew they had to see India through to the end, and the players shook hands with an over still left to bowl.
Rahane described the tension of the closing stretch. The team, he said, was quite numb in the last five or six overs and was counting the balls remaining. He said they were confident in Ashwin's batting. Vihari, he noted, had batted well all series without making big scores, and on this day showed how well he can bat. The message at tea, Rahane said, was to play one ball at a time and not think too far ahead.
The complaint remains under review. How officials respond will show how seriously racist conduct from the stands is treated for the rest of the series, which moves to Brisbane for its decider.
Citas Notables
Whatever happened on the field was not acceptable at all, it should not happen anywhere in the world, we were really upset about it.— Ajinkya Rahane, India stand-in captain
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