Watch: Mohammed Siraj targeted by Gabba crowd over fiery send-off to Travis Head

Team India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj continued to face the ire of the Aussie fans again during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series against Australia. Mohammed Siraj was booed by the crowd at The Gabba in Brisbane on the opening day of the third Test match against Australia.

India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to field first in the third Test match on Saturday, December 14. India made two changes, with Harshit Rana and Ravichandran Ashwin replaced by Akash Deep and Ravindra Jadeja. For Australia, Josh Hazlewood, returning from injury, replaced Scott Boland.

Watch: Mohammed Siraj Booed by Brisbane Crowd on Day 1

The Gabba crowd greeted Mohammed Siraj with loud boos as he came to bowl the second over of Australia's first innings. This reaction stemmed from the controversy surrounding Siraj's fiery send-off to Travis Head during the second Test in Adelaide. The stadium was packed with fans despite the rain threat.

Take a look at the video of the incident below:

Big boo for siraj from the crowd#AUSvIND #TheGabba pic.twitter.com/rQp5ekoIak

— ٭𝙉𝙄𝙏𝙄𝙎𝙃٭ (@nitiszhhhh) December 14, 2024

Mohammed Siraj made headlines for his heated exchange with Travis Head during the second Test in Adelaide. Head frustrated the Indian bowlers with 140 runs in the first innings. Siraj dismissed him with an excellent yorker and gave a fiery send-off to the southpaw, which angered the Adelaide crowd.

Siraj was booed for the remainder of the match and faced criticism from experts. The ICC penalized Siraj with a demerit point and fined him 20% of his match fee, while Head also received a demerit point for violating the ICC Code of Conduct.

Don’t Think I Ever Pointed Someone Back to the Pavilion - Mitchell Johnson

Former Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson said that Siraj's send-offs often occur in the heat of the moment and are not premeditated. He stated that the adrenaline rush after taking a wicket can sometimes lead to emotional reactions, especially if a batter has dominated previously.

"While I do recall giving batsmen verbal send-offs, I don’t think I ever pointed someone back to the pavilion. In the moment of getting a wicket, the adrenalin is going, and you could be in a period of the game when a batsman is all over you and that pleasure when you get them out gets the better of you. We are not robots and cricketers are human. Sometimes these things just happen. It isn’t a pre-prepared thing bowlers do."

"The clash was the moment we had all been waiting for and the crowd enjoyed it, quite clearly. Like I always say, you play to win on skill but the fight, competitiveness, confident body language and yes, even a few verbal exchanges, are all what makes the game that little bit more exciting."

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