Watch: India Fan Brings Sandpaper To Adelaide, Forcefully Removed By Guards​on December 10, 2024 at 12:16 pm

Amid things heating up between Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head during the ongoing India-Australia Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series, it seems like the rivalry among the fans has also scaled up. A viral video has revealed that an Indian fan was forced to exit the stadium after he had brought sandpaper with him to the stadium. The show of sandpaper was a reference to the 2018 saga, when Australia batters Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft had been banned for ball-tampering with the use of sandpaper. The Indian fan was promptly forced off the stands by security guards, amid jeers from the Australian crowd.

In the video, it can be first seen that the fan – wearing an India jersey – is being instructed to leave the stands after bringing the sandpaper. The show of sandpaper was received with a mix of cheers and jeers from the Adelaide crowd.

However, after a few moments, the fan can be seen almost forcefully being taken away from the stands by two or three security guards, while he continued to brandish the sandpaper aloft.

The incident is a direct reference to the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, after which Smith and Warner had been banned for 12 months while Bancroft received a nine-month ban. In that incident, Bancroft had been caught using sandpaper to tamper the ball conditions upon advice from Smith and Warner, after investigation.

The incident in the stands follows on from a heated on-field interaction between Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head during the pink-ball second Test in Adelaide.

Both Siraj and Head were handed one demerit point by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for their involvement, while Siraj was also fined 20 percent of his match fees.

With the series tied at 1-1, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh has also predicted that things are likely to heat up again between the two sides.

“What I feel personally is, the things will definitely get heated from the next Test match again, but whatever incident happened here, should be left here in Adelaide,” said Harbhajan, speaking on Star Sports.

The third Test in Brisbane kicks off on Saturday, December 14.

​The incident in the stands follows on from a heated on-field interaction between Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head during the pink-ball second Test in Adelaide.