Ajinkya Rahane Reveals He Declined The Offer To Walk-Off The Field After Mohammed Siraj Was Racially Abused In Sydney

India’s middle-order batsman and interim captain of the Test team, Ajinkya Rahane reveals that he was given the offer to leave the field as a protest to the racial abuses hurled by the spectators towards Mohammed Siraj at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Post stumps on Day 3 of the third Test between India and Australia in Sydney, the Indian team management lodged a complaint with the match referee, David Boon, after two of their pacers – Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj – received racial slurs from the crowd.

The matter got uglier on the fourth day when Siraj, before the tea break, asked Ajinkya Rahane, who was the stand-in skipper in absence of Virat Kohli, to halt the game as the pacer was being constantly subjected to racists comments by some people in the crowd behind him while fielding at the fine leg boundary.

The on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Paul Wilson intervened along with the fourth umpire, who also came on the field. The play was stopped for about 10 minutes as the NSW policemen at the ground evicted about half a dozen people from the stadium after Siraj, playing just his second Test, bravely decided to take a stand against the insinuating comments.

I am always there for my players: Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane, who won the Man of the Match in Melbourne for his brilliant hundred, condemns the act of the people who abused the Siraj and few others in the Indian team. Rahane says that he denied the umpires’ offer to walk-off the field as the visitors have come to play and win.

However, the 32-year-old says he will always support his players, and demanded the people in the crowd who abused Siraj to be taken out of the ground, and then only they will resume the game. India drew the Sydney Test and went on to win the Brisbane Test and won the series in astonishing fashion.

“What happened in Sydney was really sad. With Siraj and a couple of others. We had to take a stand. Yes, I said that we are not going out of the field, we are here to play cricket,” Rahane told Sports Today.

“At the same time, we respect our players so if you can actually take those guys out who used bad language. We are here and we can start the game. We didn’t want to lose that momentum. At the same time, we respect our players and I am always there for my players.” the right-hander added.

Also Read: Bowling Coach Bharat Arun Backs Virat Kohli To Continue As The Skipper Of Team India Amidst The Calls For Captaincy Change