Some of the worst moments in Indian cricket’s history have come at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). It has been a venue that has tormented players and fans alike. It started all the way back in 1947, in what was just the second international meeting between India and Australia. That match would have a lasting impact, not just on India but on cricket as a whole.
Birth of the ‘Mankad’
You see, Vinoo Mankad was playing in the match. Nearing the end of the second day of the match, he ran Australian opener Bill Brown out on the non-striker’s end. It wasn’t a huge deal, and later not just Brown but Australian captain Sir Don Bradman had no issue with Mankad or India’s decision.
Things would change years later when a runout on the non-striker’s end was labelled a ‘Mankad.’ The term had long been used in an unsportsmanlike manner, and Mankad’s family has objected to its usage as well. But it has stayed and perhaps will for decades to come.
2008: Monkeygate & umpiring blunders in Sydney
Cut to 61 years. We had the infamous 2008 Sydney Test. This has to be the most controversial moment Team India has been involved in away from home. Remembered for the Monkeygate incident, where Andrew Symonds claimed Harbhajan Singh called him a racist slur. The governments got involved, there was a hearing, and Harbhajan was handed a 3-match ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Team India then threatened to pull out if Harbhajan’s ban wasn’t reduced.
What’s forgotten is the horrendous umpiring by Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson. Both teams were hard done by, but Team India had fallen victim twice as often as Australia. The most controversial of the decisions was when Benson took Ricky Ponting‘s word for a catch claimed by Michael Clarke instead of going to the third umpire for review.
Kohli gives SCG crowd, the ‘finger’
Luckily, the hatchet has since been buried. Symonds and Harbhajan even become friends later in life. But there was nothing friendly about Virat Kohli at the SCG in 2012. The then 23-year-old batter wasn’t ready for the noise from the Australian crowds, who were in his ears throughout. Angered, Kohli decided to give the crowd the ‘finger.’
He would accept the fine by the ICC match referee Ranjan Madugalle but would later tweet, “I agree cricketers don’t have to retaliate. What when the crowd says the worst things about your mother and sister? The worst I’ve heard.”
Rohit Sharma dropped/retired?
Another such incident might happen on December 3. When captain Rohit Sharma might be dropped before the last match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Amid career-worst form, there is a chance that the Indian captain is dropped in Sydney. Head coach Gautam Gambhir gave no clear answer when asked about Rohit’s place in India’s XI.
There have been instances when captains have dropped themselves, but never in Indian cricket. In fact, Gambhir stepped down as the while leading Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) midway through 2018 Indian Premier League season. For all we know, It might be the end of Rohit Sharma, the Test batter’s, career.
Had it happened anywhere else, one may be shocked, but given Team India’s history in Sydney, it seems rather fitting that such a huge thing might happen away from it, taking place at SCG.
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