India’s cricket star Virat Kohli has seemingly mocked Australia’s notorious ball-tampering scandal during the final day of the Border-Gavaskar Test series at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Following Steve Smith’s dismissal, which left Australia struggling at 3-58 in pursuit of 162 runs to reclaim the trophy from India, Kohli turned towards the crowd from his position at first slip. He theatrically emptied his pockets, shrugged, and pretended to place an item down his trousers, mimicking Cameron Bancroft’s actions with sandpaper during the infamous 2018 Cape Town Test.
Kohli proceeded to pantomime taking an object out of his pocket and rubbing it on an imaginary cricket ball, actions that appeared to be directed at the Australian fans in attendance. When the players left the field with Australia at 3-71, still needing 111 runs on a challenging SCG wicket, umpire Sharfuddoula approached Kohli for a brief conversation.
Kohli is known for his animated celebrations and appeals, and former Australian bowler Stuart Clark commented on ABC Sport that Kohli’s exuberant responses towards the umpire were excessive. In the 2018 scandal, then-captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft were sent home from the South Africa tour and handed significant suspensions. Smith lost his captaincy to Tim Paine but has since led the team when current captain Pat Cummins was unavailable.
