04 January,2025 02:25 PM IST | Melbourne | mid-day online correspondent
Australian fans shouting racial chants at their Indian counterparts (Pic: Screengrab/X)
A video featuring a segment of the Australian crowd targetting Indian cricket fans with offensive chants during the fourth Test of the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy has sparked widespread outrage on social media.
The video, which was recorded at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the Boxing Day Test, has now gone viral. In the footage, Australian fans can be heard insulting the Indian supporters by chanting, 'Where's your visa?'
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Although the incident occurred during the MCG Test, the video resurfaced amid the ongoing series-deciding match in Sydney. Australia defeated India by 184 runs in Melbourne, taking a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The hosts are now looking to avoid defeat in Sydney to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
In the ongoing fifth Test in Sydney, the contest remains evenly balanced between the two teams. Rishabh Pant played a pivotal role on day two, hammering the second-fastest half-century by an Indian in Test cricket to give India a 145-run lead with four wickets remaining.
By the close of play, India stood at 141-6, with Ravindra Jadeja on eight and Washington Sundar on six, following the dismissal of Australia for 181 in response to India's first-innings total of 185.
Pant's aggressive batting was evident as he hit a six off his very first ball and reached his half-century in just 29 balls, marking the milestone with another huge six. His 28-ball half-century against Sri Lanka in 2022 remains the fastest by an Indian. Pant was eventually dismissed for 61 off 33 balls by Pat Cummins, but it was Scott Boland who emerged as the main threat for India, claiming 4 wickets for 42 runs.
Pant's explosive knock has set the stage for a thrilling conclusion to the match, with uncertainty surrounding whether India's skipper, Jasprit Bumrah, will take any further part in the proceedings.
