Virat Kohli added a touch of drama to Day 3 of the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test by engaging in banter with the Sydney Cricket Ground crowd, referencing Australia’s infamous 2018 sandpaper scandal. The moment, coupled with Steven Smith’s dramatic dismissal on the brink of a historic milestone, added layers of intensity to a gripping day of cricket.
In the first session, Virat, who has been riled up by the Australian crowd throughout the series, interacted with fans at the SCG. He was seen imitating scenes from the sandpaper scandal during Australia’s tour of South Africa in 2018. Turning to the crowd, Virat showed his empty pockets, subtly hinting at the infamous incident.
During the infamous 2018 sandpaper scandal, former captain Steven Smith, Cameron Bancroft, and David Warner were found involved in the incident. On the third day of the third Test between Australia and South Africa in Cape Town, the trio was found guilty of attempting to tamper with the ball.
Smith, who was involved during that incident, is involved in the ongoing BGT series. The seasoned Australian star stood just a few runs away from completing the 10,000 Test-run landmark. He stood one shot away from celebrating a massive milestone in his career. However, Prasidh extracted extra bounce from the surface, forcing Smith to commit to the shot. Smith looked helpless while fending off the rising delivery, eventually slicing it to Yashasvi Jaiswal, who dived from the third slip to take a stunning catch. With Australia three wickets down, Usman Khawaja and Travis Head steadied Australia’s dwindling 162-run chase. Mohammed Siraj again reignited the hopes by forcing a faint edge from Khawaja. Jasprit Bumrah, who suffered back spasms on Day 2, came out to bat, but the tail end didn’t last long.
Earlier in the day, India added just 16 runs to their overnight score, courtesy of Scott Boland and Pat Cummins’ fiery pace. Ravindra Jadeja was first to fall, and Washington Sundar soon joined his colleague back into the dressing room. Jasprit Bumrah, who suffered from back spasms on Day 2, came out to bat, but the tail end didn’t last long as India bundled out 157.
