Ugly allegations sour Test as Indian players targeted by abuse
India's players were allegedly subjected to racial abuse from a section of the crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in the third Test against Australia.
India captain Ajinkya Rahane and other senior players spoke to the umpires at the end of Saturday's after quicks Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj complained of hearing racist slurs while fielding near the boundary rope, according to media reports.
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India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara did not answer when asked about the matter at the end-of-day news conference.
Reuters was unable to confirm if the Indian cricket board (BCCI) had officially lodged a complaint with its Cricket Australia counterpart.
The two boards and the International Cricket Council (ICC) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"We've come to know about the issue," BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla told Indian news agency ANI.
"Cricket is a gentleman's game and these kinds of things are not allowed or accepted."
According to the ICC anti-discrimination policy, the host board would have to probe any incident relating to 'inappropriate conduct' and submit a report to the world governing body within two weeks.
A man was banned from attending cricket matches in New Zealand for two years after being found guilty of abusing England fast bowler Jofra Archer during a 2019 tour.
India face uphill battle on day four of third Test
Pat Cummins put Australia in the perfect position to retake the lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after he landed another hammer blow to India's great wall Cheteshwar Pujara.
Cummins removed Pujara for the fourth time this summer on a horror Saturday for the tourists, taking 4-29 to have India all out for 244.
Australia then went to stumps on day three at 2-103 in their second innings, leading by 197, with Marnus Labuschagne not out on 47 and Steve Smith 29.
The pair have put on a crucial 68 for the third wicket after Will Pucovski (10) and David Warner (13) fell early, giving India a sniff.
Smith drove through the covers gloriously after doing likewise in his first-innings 131, while Labuschagne pounced on anything short.
It capped a disastrous day for India with Ravindra Jadeja (thumb) and Risabh Pant (elbow) both needing scans from body blows batting, while three other men were run out.
But it was Cummins' heroics that gave Australia the chance to break the 1-1 deadlock with one Test to play.
Pujara was India's stonewall on their triumphant tour two summers ago, but this series he has continually been beaten down by Cummins.
Where Australia were wore down by his marathon knocks in 2018-19, they have embraced his slow scoring this season with Cummins leading the charge.
Pujara scored his slowest Test half-century, from 174 balls, and two balls later had a delivery that got high on him from Cummins brush his glove through to Tim Paine.
Cummins now has the figures of 4-19 from 21 overs against Pujara this summer.
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