Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj has raised the temperature of the Border-Gavaskar bout to boiling point by accusing Travis Head of lying about their exchange at the end of the Australian batter’s century on day two in Adelaide.
In a Hindi interview with Harbhajan Singh on the Indian broadcaster Star, Siraj said that Head used “abusive words” after his dismissal and claimed he did not hear the Australian first say “well bowled”.
Get off: Mohammed Siraj had stern words with Travis Head after the latter was dismissed.Credit: AP
“I was enjoying bowling to him, it was a good battle. He batted really well. At the end of the day, as a bowler when he hits you for six off your good balls, something stirs in the blood, inside you – the passion rises,” Siraj told Star in a translation provided by ESPNcricinfo.
“My celebration after bowling him – I was just celebrating, but his abusive reaction can be seen on television. If you see, at the start I didn’t say a word – I was just celebrating only initially.
“Later, at the press conference, he said wrong things – he claimed he said ‘Well bowled’ to me. But that’s a lie. There was no ‘well bowled’ that I could see. And he talked about respect. I mean, we respect everyone. We don’t disrespect. I always have respected people as cricket is a gentleman’s game. But what he did wasn’t right. I didn’t like it at all.”
Head’s account of the exchange, which appeared to be backed up by broadcast footage, was that he first said “well bowled” jokingly to Siraj before “biting back” with sharper words after the bowler indicated the way to the dressing room.
“I actually jokingly said, ‘Well bowled’. Then when he pointed me [towards] the sheds, I had my reaction as well,” Head told reporters. “I feel like the way I play the game, I would like a better reaction. I was surprised at the reaction … there was no confrontation leading up to it.
“I felt like it was probably, yeah, a little bit far at the time, and that’s why I’m disappointed in the reaction that I gave back. But I’m also going to stand up for myself. I’d like to think in our team that we wouldn’t do that.
“I feel like if my teammates did the same … in those circumstances I’d probably call it out, which I did.”
Head indicated that it wasn’t the first time in the series. Replays show that pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah and Kohli got in Head’s face after he was dismissed for 89 in the second innings in Perth.
Head was later seen in a long conversation with Kohli at the end of the Test match; the pair has known each other for a long time and played in the Indian Premier League together.
“I’ve had conversations with guys this series about that [send-offs],” Head said. “I feel like you can play hard and play fair, but obviously when you’re out, can’t do much about it.
“I think the relationship [between the teams] is really, really good. I think that’s why I’m disappointed with the couple of reactions I’ve got when I’ve been dismissed, that’s all. I’d rather [someone] try and tear shreds off me and then give it to me. But I feel like the lead-up is out of nowhere.”
Former India coach Ravi Shastri suggested that Siraj and Head should meet up together after play to calm the waters.
“You get these volcanoes every now and then,” Shastri said on SEN. “He’s a fast bowler and he’s smashed into the stands for six, you come back with a yorker and let off some steam.
“They’ve both played a lot of cricket, and at times in the same team in the IPL. They will probably have a chat at some stage today.”
More to come
