Second Test Australia vs India, Mohammed Siraj sends off Travis Head, what did they say, century, Adelaide Oval, latest news

Australian star Travis Head has declared he will always stand up for himself after Mohammed Siraj’s spirited dismissal caused tempers to boil over at the Adelaide Oval.

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Siraj, the man who dropped 70 en route to his century head on Saturday, gave the Australian a bite as he left the crease and made a well-taken 140.

But he has since bizarrely claimed he was “just celebrating at the beginning, I didn’t tell him anything.”

The Indian star could be seen asking Head, among other things, to “get out” while gesturing aggressively towards the stands. An attack on a local hero angered the Adelaide crowd, who repeatedly booed Siraj as Australia took complete control of the Test.

In an interview with Fox Cricket immediately after the stumps, when India were 5-128 and needed another 29 runs to let Australia beat again in Adelaide, Head said he was disappointed with what had unfolded.

“I said ‘well bowled’ but he thought otherwise as he pointed me towards the sheds. He got a little bite back from me,” Head remembers.

“A little disappointed with the way this happened.

“It is what it is. If that’s how they want to react and portray themselves that way, then so be it.”

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Siraj misinterpreted Head’s comments, suggesting that Head claimed he had only said “bowled well” and ignored the rest of the admission to hold back while pleading innocence.

“It was a great fight (with Head) and he fought really well. When you hit a six with a good ball, it fires you up differently,” Siraj told Star Sports Hindi.

“And when I took him bowling I was just celebrating and he was swearing at me and you saw that on TV too. At the beginning I just celebrated, I didn’t say anything to him.

“What he said in the press conference wasn’t right, it’s a lie that he just said ‘bowled well’ to me. It’s obvious to everyone that he didn’t say that to me.

“We respect everyone, it’s not that we disrespect other players. I respect everyone because cricket is a gentleman’s game but what he did was not right. I didn’t like it at all.”

In a press conference, Head elaborated on his brilliant 140, which is his third successive Test century at the Adelaide Oval and helped him surpass Ian Chappell to become the most successful South Australian-born player on his home ground.

He said that while he was disappointed with his reaction to Siraj’s departure, it was not the first time in this series that something had happened that he believed crossed an accepted boundary.

“I don’t want to give the game too much airtime, but I feel like the way I play the game, I “I would have liked a better reaction,” he said.

“I was surprised at the reaction to the game situation and the lead-up to it. There was no confrontation leading up to it from him and I felt like it was probably, yeah, a little far-fetched at that point, and so I’m disappointed in the reaction I gave to it.

“But I will also stand up for myself. I would like to think on our team that we wouldn’t do that. It’s not how I want to play the game and I feel like my teammates feel the same way. And if I had seen it under those circumstances, I would probably denounce it, which is what I did.”

When asked if it was the first incident in the series that had raised eyebrows, Head said he had spoken to “people from that background.”

“There have been conversations that I have had (and) I will leave those conversations that I have had with the people around,” he said.

“Like I said, I feel like that’s how I want to play the game and I appreciate the respect that I give myself and my teammates – I feel like I also have high expectations for my teammates and the way and The way we behave and the way we do things – and I can’t say much for India, but as I said, I will call it that in certain situations.

“I’ve talked to guys about it on this show. I feel like you can play hard and fair, but obviously when you’re out there there’s not much you can do about it. I’m disappointed with the reaction I had afterward, but I’m definitely standing up for myself.”

Head, who is a star in the Indian Premier League, does not believe the clash at Adelaide Oval will change relations between the two teams, who, given Australia’s dominance, are likely to arrive in Brisbane later this week when the Border Gavaskar Trophy will be awarded.

“I feel like the game is moving (beyond past rivalries) and the way I play the game is that I’m there to have a good time,” he said.

“I want to have fun. I want to play hard and fair and have a joke on the field. And I know we compete hard, but I can laugh at the same time.

“Then to understand the reaction I had to it, I would almost rather it were the other way around. I’d rather they try to rip pieces off me and then give it to me, but I feel like it came out of nowhere (from the start).

“But I think the relationship is fine. I think both teams respect each other. Our dressing room definitely has a lot of respect for the opposition and the players that play in that dressing room are of a very high quality. They’re playing hardball, but yeah, I’d say the relationship is fine.”

Former South African fast bowler Morne Morkel, who is India’s bowling coach, said he expected Head and Siraj to be OK at the end of the Test.

“No matter what’s on the scoreboard, I think in a big series like this there will always be moments like this where – I wouldn’t say it’s a decisive situation – but when we win a session or the game may be at stake, (there) will be moments like that,” he said.

“And they’re two cricketers who play hard, they play hard, but I’m pretty sure they’ll be best friends after the game.”

Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee, meanwhile, told foxsports.com.au that he didn’t mind the interaction between the two stars, while David Warner said in commentary that it set the tone for the rest of the series.

“Mohammed Siraj is a typical fast bowler with a huge heart and he rushes in and all that stuff with (head), you know, there were a few people I passed in the corridor who said, ‘Oh, why is that? him like that?’ Spray Travis Head when he makes 140 odd?’” Lee said.

“Well, it’s passion. You play for your country. I said that anyone who has had the pleasure or honor of taking a Test wicket is the best feeling in the world.

“You don’t know when you’re going to take your last wicket. Yes, there is a sand line that you know you can’t cross, but it’s healthy for the game. As long as no one is swearing excessively or even being racially abused, there is nothing wrong with gossiping a little.”

Fox Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle said it felt like both players were involved in the interaction.

“It added a little bit of spice. (There) could have been words the other way, you know. I think there were two in the game,” he said.

Commentator Kerry O’Keeffe did not believe Siraj’s departure was justified given the innings played by Head. He later described the Indian star’s actions as a “villainous performance”.

“I don’t know if a farewell is valid when a man has 140!” he said.

“(But) he is a proud competitor, isn’t he? He threatened to do this throughout the first test. (The) referees may have had a say (about his behavior).”

Siraj is no stranger to controversy in Australia after he was targeted by the crowd during India’s last Test tour in Sydney.

Play had to be suspended in this 2021 Test match after Siraj claimed he was racially abused.

After the boss’s sacking on Saturday, Siraj once again cemented himself as public enemy number one of this Border Gavaskar Trophy tour – a move that could backfire, warned Warner.

“It was pretty verbal there,” he said.

“There is progress there too – I still have Gabba, Sydney, Melbourne (tests to follow). He had problems last time.

“That’s what happens in Australia – when you want to start dishing it out, you’ve got about 40,000 people who will be behind the boys.

“Without (the aggression), it wouldn’t be a Border-Gavaskar Trophy, would it?”