BGT 2024 | Twitter goes wild as Virat Kohli takes a cheeky dig at SCG crowd with sandpaper gate pocket gesture

Debayan Sinha

ByDebayan Sinha, SportsCafe Editor

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Past regrets are inevitable parts of life, but intense competition can often bring them to the forefront. This was evident in the first session of the third day where Virat Kohli subtly took a dig at the crowd, gesturing towards his empty pockets as a reference to the 2018 sandpaper gate scandal.

‌Australian pacers continued their dominance, dismissing Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar early. Despite a brief respite from Jasprit Bumrah's return to bat, India’s lower order collapsed, leaving them all out for 157. Chasing 162, Australian openers raced to 35/0, but Prasidh Krishna’s three-wicket haul, removing Konstas, Labuschagne, and Smith, revived India’s hopes. Immediately after Smith’s dismissal, a moment reminded the world of Australia’s infamous 2018 sandpaper gate scandal. 

 

A packed SCG crowd eagerly awaited Steve Smith to reach his 10,000 Test runs, filled with anticipation. However, their excitement turned to disappointment as Prasidh Krishna dismissed him in the 10th over, halting Smith’s milestone. A short while later, while Khawaja and Travis Head were at the crease, Kohli slowly turned towards the crowd, smiling, before pulling out his empty pockets in a subtle gesture.

 

Looking back at history, Smith was robbed of his captaincy and banned from international cricket for 12 months, alongside David Warner, for ball tampering during a 2018 match against South Africa. Cameron Bancroft was also banned for nine months. The trio was caught using sandpaper to alter the ball’s condition. Twitterverse quickly picked up on Kohli’s gesture, discussing it widely on social media.

What was that?

What was it about?

LOL!

But why?

May be!

Correct!

Could be the reason!

Hahaha!

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