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Fresh after taking a 20 percent hit on his match fee over the on-field altercation with Australia batter Travis Head, Mohammed Siraj produced another act that is going to be talked about for long. The India pacer, struggling to grab his wicket of the match in the third Test of the series against Australia, showed once again that he will try every single trickery in his pocket to get under the batter's skin. In an incident that went viral on the internet, Siraj walked about to Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne and switched the bails at his end.
Siraj, bowling the 33rd over of the innings on Day 2, walked past Labuschagne after bowling a delivery and switched the two bails. The Australia batter thought that the India pacer was walking up to have a chat with him but it turned out that he had some other plans.
As Siraj returned to the bowler's end after switching the bails, Labuschagne decided to switch the bails again. The act by the Indian pacer also triggered a big reaction from the crowd.
Here's the video:
How good is this exchange between Siraj and Labuschange? #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/GSv1XSrMHn
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 15, 2024
Though Labuschagne switched the bails, the trick did help Siraj put the Australia batter off-focus, as India all-rounder Nitish Reddy got him caught in slips in the next over.
Since the start of the series, Siraj has shown that he is a character on the field who is ready to interact with the Australian in a similar tone that they have shown over the years. However, the pacer does tend to cross the line at times. Such an act saw him face ICC sanction over the Travis Head episode during the pink-ball Test in Adelaide.
Earlier in the day, Jasprit Bumrah provided India with twin breakthroughs in the first session, removing both Australian openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney.