Indian fan alleges racism in Sydney Test, says he ‘felt naked’ after guards told him to ‘go back from where you belong’

The Sydney New Year Test between India and Australia saw plenty of high drama and tension. Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari battled injuries to thwart the Australian bowlers for 42 overs. Rishabh Pant counter-attacked in grand style and Cheteshwar Pujara stonewalled in his own way as India gave Australia an almighty scare. However, the match was marred by an ugly incident of racism. A certain section of the crowd hurled racist abuses at Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah. Siraj reported the matter immediately to the authorities at the venue. The guards at the Sydney Cricket Ground ejected the fans out of the stadium.

The aftermath of the incident was still a sour point with many fans. Cricket Australia and many Australian players apologized for the conduct of the fans and stated that there was no place for racism in society. However, one incident has apparently come up which has once again exposed the dangers of racism. In an interaction with the Sydney Morning Herald, Krishna Kumar, an Indian cricket team fan has alleged racism by the Sydney cricket guards when he was stopped from carrying anti-racism banners to the ground.

Krishna Kumar, who is an Australian citizen, said the guards did not allow him to take the anti-racism posters to the ground and he was subject to intense searching by the guards. “He told me, ‘If you need to address this matter, go back to where you belong. It was a very small banner. I made it out of my kids’ paper roll. To me this a pure case of profiling. I want justice. I want accountability. I was feeling stripped, feeling watched and I went there to fight racism. Why ought to I be stopped from addressing racism, particularly at a floor the place it was debatable whether or not it was taking place or not?,” the Indian fan told the media.

More incidents of racism?

Apparently, on day 1 of the Brisbane Test, there was a section of the crowd who were hurling names at Mohammed Siraj but the bowler did not complain. Apparently, there were no racist chants but simple banter. The Indian cricket team has made it clear that they will not stand for any kind of racism directed at them and Mohammed Siraj led the way by immediately reporting the matter and ensuring action was taken.

In the past, racist incidents have marred India vs Australia series. In 2007, Indian fans in Vadodara and Mumbai racially abused Andrew Symonds. The Monkeygate scandal in Sydney was the tipping point in tensions between India and Australia. 12 years later, racism once again haunted Sydney.