Virat Kohli Taunts Aussie Fans with Sandpaper Gesture in Sydney Test

On Day 3 of the 5th Border-Gavaskar Trophy test against Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Virat Kohli can be seen leading the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. India claimed three wickets before lunch. Rohit is rested for the test, while Bumrah is sidelined due to injury, after which the responsibility to lead the team was handed to Virat Kohli on Sunday. Known for his eccentric interactions with fans on the ground, Kohli is someone who loves to mock the trollers. This time Virat used epic sandpaper banter to silence a section of fans in Sydney.

In 2018, Australian cricketers David Warner, Cameron Bancroft and Steve Smith were banned by Cricket Australia for their roles in the sandpaper incident.

 The three players were caught using sandpaper on the red ball to help the bowlers during Australia’s test against South Africa. When footage of a piece of paper or cloth coming out from Jasprit Bumrah’s shoes surfaced following the conclusion of play on Day 2 of the Sydney test, some fans accused the Indian side of engaging in similar behaviour.

Social media users began discussing this incident, with some fans even speculating that the Indian bowler had sandpaper concealed in the shoe. On Day 3, Virat responded to these accusations by mocking the crowd at the Sydney ground. As stand-in captain for the day, Virat made the gesture that Indians aren’t as good as Australians at such things. If we talk about the match, the Indian side was bowled out for 157 runs, with Scott Boland being Australia’s best bowler with six wickets. India set a 162 run target for Australia. 

Prasidh Krishna bagged three wickets before lunch. Australia is currently batting on 86/3, and they need just 76 runs to win the match and claim the BGT series.