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Former India cricketer and cricket pundit Sunil Gavaskar has lashed out at Australia's cricketers and the public for portraying Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj in poor light following his fiery send-off to Australian batter Travis Head during the second Test at Adelaide. Amid widespread criticism from Australian fans towards Siraj, Gavaskar has called out the apparent hypocrisy, stating that the same fans would cheer had it been an Australian who gave the send-off. Gavaskar also expressed his surprise at the incident.
Gavaskar went as far as saying that should the Australian team choose to be "mongrels", they would be backed by their fans.
"Siraj is getting the stick from all the "saints" in Australian cricket who, of course, were known for their impeccable behaviour on the field. It may have incensed Australian fans that Siraj's fiery send-off was directed at Head, who scored a magnificent century, and was also the local boy," Gavaskar wrote in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald.
"But the same people will cheer if an Aussie quick gives a similar send-off to an English batter during next summer's Ashes. There were some suggestions in the media that the Australians should get back to being the mongrels they once were. So, do mongrels simply purr, or do they bark, too?" Gavaskar sharply pointed out.
As it turned out, Siraj received a poor sanction for his reaction. While both players were handed a demerit point by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Siraj was also fined 20 percent of his match fees.
However, Gavaskar also expressed his surprise at how the incident boiled out, stating that the Indian Premier League (IPL) has done a lot to reduce the animosity in the game.
"Siraj's outburst was surprising because if the Indian Premier League has done one thing, apart from making Aussie cricketers and coaches millionaires, it has also taken away to a huge extent the animosity that previously existed in the game," Gavaskar wrote.