Kohli, Smith in cheating row
> Aussie skipper accused of looking at support staff in DRS appeal
last three days, and it has to stop”.
Although Kohli stopped short of accusing Smith of being a cheat, Indian newspapers were less diplomatic.
Smith Caught Cheating, an Indian Express headline said.
Smith’s explanation was met with widespread sceptism with even Clarke doubting whether it was a one-off, given the nonstriker Peter Handscomb seemed to suggest he consult the dressing-room.
“If what (Virat) Kohli is saying is true and Australia are using their support staff to help them decide on a DRS decision then that’s not on, that’s unacceptable,” Clarke told the India Today network.
“I think Steve Smith respects the game and will always uphold the integrity of the game and if it is just a one-off then it is a brain-fade and he’s made a mistake.
“My concern, my worry is, that when you look at the footage at what happened, Handscomb... actually suggests to Smith to turn around and have a look to the support staff.
“Now if it is only a one-off, I don’t think that would have happened.”
Although no formal complaint has been lodged with the International Cricket Council (ICC), a source in the Indian board told AFP that the team would press for charges.
Handscomb tried to deflect blame from his captain, writing on Twitter that it was “my fault and was unaware of the rule”, saying the row “shouldn’t take anything away from what was an amazing game”.
The row over DRS is the latest in a series of spats between the two teams in recent years, including in the 2008 Sydney Test when the Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh was accused of calling Andrew Symonds a monkey.
Kohli himself was fined 50% of his match fee three years ago for bringing the game into disrepute after flashing the middle finger to the crowd in the Sydney Test.
The third Test begins in Ranchi on March 16 before the series finale in Dharamsala at the end of the month. – AFP India’s captain Virat Kohli (right) walks off after speaking to the umpire as Australia’s captain Steven Smith (2nd left) walks off the ground after being dismissed.