WITH CROWD BOOS, ‘BRAIN FADE’ RETURNS TO HAUNT SMITH
BANGALORE: Steve Smith had demoted himself to No.4 after David Warner had blasted his first maiden ODI century in India. His 231-run stand with Aaron Finch (94) gave Australia a great platform. However, India clawed back in the contest as they picked up three wickets for five runs.
The Australian skipper was dismissed for 3 as he flicked a full ball to Virat Kohli at deep midwicket to gift Umesh his 100th ODI wicket. However, as he walked back to the pavilion, he was greeted by loud boos from the crowd at the M Chinnaswamy stadium. The crowd had also booed David Warner when he was dismissed for 124 as the batsman stood near the boundary. The hostility of the crowd stems from the acrimonious Bangalore Test between the two sides in March 2017.
The controversy erupted when Virat Kohli said he had seen the Australian players seeking dressing room’s advice twice before making DRS calls. The Indian captain called short of calling Smith a cheat but said it “went against the spirit of the game”.
The resulting controversy saw former Indian players demanding action against the Australian skipper while the BCCI called for the intervention of the ICC. However, Cricket Australia defended the skipper and called the claims ‘outrageous’.
In the end, Smith apologised and stated that he had suffered a ‘Brain Fade’ during the DRS fiasco. India, who had lost the Pune Test by a big margin, won the match by 75 runs and went on to clinch the Test series 2-1.