Cricket fans have witnessed some tremendous on-field action in the on-going India tour of Australia. While the contest was neck-to-neck in the limited-overs leg, nothing much has separated the two teams in the Test series as well. Apart from great tussle between the bat and ball, however, the tour will also be remembered for the alleged breach of COVID-19 protocols by five Indian players including Rohit Sharma. Nevertheless, it wasn’t the first time the Indian cricket team got involved in a controversy down under. As fans enjoy the India vs Australia third Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), let’s look at some infamous controversies from India’s tour down under. India vs Australia 3rd Test 2021 Day 2 Stat Highlights.

1. Sunil Gavaskar’s Infamous Walkout

India registered a famous 59-run win in Melbourne Test during their 1980-81 tour down under. However, the match was under the threat of getting called off. While batting at 70 in the third innings, Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar was exasperated after getting adjudged LBW out by on-field umpire Rex Whitehead. Gavaskar believed that Dennis Lillie’s in-swinging had smashed the inside edge of his bat as he asked his opening partner Chetan Chauhan to come alongside him. Nevertheless, after some time, Team India manager Wing Commander Shahid Durrani convinced Chauhan to go back on the field, and the action resumed.

2. The Monkey Gate Scandal

Who can forget this infamous episode from the Sydney Test in 2008? Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds and veteran Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh had a terrible mix up which resulted in one of the ugliest controversies in cricket history. Symonds accused the spinner of making of a racial comment, suggesting that Harbhajan had called him “monkey.” Subsequently, Harbhajan was banned for three Test matches as well as 50% of his match fees was deducted.

3. Virat Kohli Showing Middle Finger

The current Indian skipper has got engaged in verbal spats with many Australian cricketers over the years. However, during India’s 2011-12 tour of Australia, the right-handed batsman had an episode with the crowd as well. Riled by an abusive group of spectators, the then 21-year-old stuck out his middle finger towards them. Fortunately, Kohli got away with any ban and he went on to score his maiden Test ton in the succeeding Test in Adelaide.

4. David Warner – Rohit Sharma Spat

Although Warner and Rohit seem to share a good camaraderie now, things were different between them during India’s 2014-15 tour of Australia. In the Melbourne ODI, Sharma was batting well alongside Suresh Raina. Fielding inside the inner circle, Warner accidentally made an overthrow as Sharma got a one-run benefit. A furious-looking Warner then came to have a chat with Rohit, and the latter replied in hindi. The Aussie opener was further aggravated as he kept on shouting “Speak English”. His behavior was found to be “inappropriate”, and hence he was penalized 50% of his match fees.

5. Alleged Breach Of COVID-19 Protocols By Indian Players

This is the most recent controversy that didn’t take place on the field but in a restaurant. Five Indian cricketers, namely Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini were alleged to break the bio-secure bubble protocols after their video of eating in a Melbourne-based restaurant went viral. A fan even claimed to hug Pant and later refused. The episode created a lot of hullabaloo, and the five Indian cricketers were reportedly put in isolation. Nevertheless, Rohit and others weren’t found to be guilty and they were eligible to participate in the third at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Meanwhile, the four-match Test series is perfectly poised at 1-1 after the first two games. The on-going Sydney clash is also well balanced, and both teams must be raring to win the encounter and get an unassailable 2-1 lead.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 08, 2021 04:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).