BCCI has done 'good job' in filing official complaint: Rajkumar Sharma on SCG racism row

Rajkumar Sharma, Delhi's coach, on Sunday said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has done a "good job" in filing an official complaint regarding the racial slurs being hurled at pacers Mohammad Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah during the ongoing third Test between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

The Indian team on Saturday lodged an official complaint after the crowd at the SCG racially abused Bumrah and Siraj over the second and third day of the ongoing Pink Test.

"It's unfortunate that the Indian bowlers had to face racial abuse, I feel it is a said incident, whoever has done this, I hope match referee David Boon takes strict action, it is fortunate and it is not in the spirit of the game. BCCI has done a good job in filing the complaint officially," Sharma told ANI.

"We had seen in the 2007-08 series when the MonkeyGate scandal happened, then also BCCI took a stand for their players, strict action needs to be taken against the fans who hurled racial slurs at the Indian bowlers," he added.

On Saturday, a BCCI official in the know of developments told ANI that the Indian cricket board stands with the boys as such behaviour is "unacceptable".

"The tour has surely turned sour and the last thing you expect in a civilized society is racial abuse. The ICC (International Cricket Council) and Cricket Australia need to be very responsive to this as the possible alternatives are not very pleasant for cricket, especially during the present circumstances. The Sydney Test has now become an acid test for CA interim CEO Nick Hockley and we are in complete solidarity with our boys. Racial abuse is unacceptable," the official explained.

Sources aware of developments in the team said that the bowlers initially brought the matter up with stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane before the team went into a huddle with the coaching staff led by Ravi Shastri and decided that this sort of behaviour should not and will not be ignored.

The relationship between the two teams has taken a turn in recent times with Queensland's Health Shadow Minister Ros Bates' comments regarding quarantine guidelines for the fourth Test in Brisbane also painting the visitors in poor light.

With questions raised on whether the Indian team would be willing to follow strict quarantine protocols for the final Test of the series at The Gabba, Bates had said: "If the Indians don't want to play by the rules, don't come."

(ANI)

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