Siraj Faces Booing from Adelaide Crowd After Controversial Send-Off to Travis Head

The crowd at Adelaide Oval was very loud on Saturday, booing Mohammed Siraj on Day 2 of the second Test between India and Australia. Siraj upset the crowd after giving Travis Head an angry send-off, using bad language, after getting him out. Head, however, played brilliantly, scoring a fast 140 in front of his home crowd on December 7.

Siraj looked frustrated throughout the day as things didn’t go his way, even though he bowled well in the first session. His frustration grew when Travis Head took control, hitting boundaries off Siraj, including a flick into the deep fine-leg stands in the 82nd over after hitting a boundary earlier. However, Siraj had the last laugh when he bowled Head out with a full-toss. He was visibly pumped after the dismissal and gave Head an explosive send-off.

Watch: Siraj vs Head at Adelaide Oval

Video Link: https://x.com/7Cricket/status/1865311126675730856

There was a bit happening here between Head and Siraj after the wicket 👀#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/f4k9YUVD2k

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 7, 2024

Head didn’t take kindly to Siraj’s animated actions and swore back at him, leading to a tense moment on the field. The Adelaide crowd showed their support for the home-town hero, applauding his effort as Australia’s lead grew past 100 runs.

As Head walked off the pitch, the applause quickly turned into boos for Siraj. Throughout the over, Siraj faced the crowd’s disapproval. Even in the next over, when he was fielding in the cover region and the ball came to him, the boos continued for the fast bowler.

Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar downplayed the situation, saying the boos were to be expected.

"Well, if you give the local favorite a send-off after he scores a hundred, you’re naturally going to get something back," Gavaskar commented.

Siraj seemed rattled by the boos, as he gave away 11 runs in the next over, being hit hard by Mitchell Starc. Earlier in the day, there was concern when Jasprit Bumrah appeared to injure his groin and fell to the ground after the Tea break. However, much to the relief of Indian fans, Bumrah got up and resumed his spell with the new ball.