Ravi Ashwin reveals he had dealt with racial abuse in the past at the SCG

Indian veteran spinner Ravi Ashwin made some serious accusations against the Australian crowd after the reports of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah suffering from racial abuse on Day 3 and Day 4 of the ongoing third Test between Australia and India surfaced. Ashwin asserted that he was at the receiving end of the Australian crowd hurling abuses and slangs at him in the past.

The stumps at Day three saw the Indian contingent complaining to the match officials about Siraj and Bumrah getting racially abused on the boundary line. The same instance was repeated on Day 4 too and as many as six men were ejected from the crowd for alleged abuse. Further, the whole episode is being investigated by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket Australia (CA).

Detailing his opinion on the issue after Day 4 of the game, Ashwin reckoned that this isn’t the first time that the Australian crowd has booed the visiting nation. However, this time India has lodged an official complaint and the umpires assured that serious action will be taken. Also, the spinner believes that racially abusing someone should not be acceptable.

“This is my fourth tour of Australia and in Sydney, we have had a few experiences, even in the past. I think one of the fans, the players have reacted and got into trouble in the past. They have been quite nasty and hurling abuse as well. There is a time where they have gone one step ahead and used racial abuse.

“There was an official complaint lodged yesterday and the umpires said we must bring it to their notice as it happens on the field, and they will be able to take action. It is definitely not acceptable in this day and age. We have seen a lot and evolved as a society. Sometimes I think this roots back to the upbringing and the way one sees. This must definitely be dealt with an iron fist and we must make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Ravi Ashwin stated while speaking to the reporters.

Ravi Ashwin throws light on his personal experience of facing abuse

Sharing his personal experience, the 34-year-old stated that the crowd at SCG tends to get nasty and abusive. Remembering his first tour to Australia in 2011-12, Ashwin revealed that initially when he was subjected to such words, it made him feel vulnerable as he didn’t know that people can actually laugh when someone is getting harassed.

“Personally I think Adelaide and Melbourne wasn’t as bad. But this has been a continual thing at Sydney, I have personally experienced it as well. They do tend to get nasty, I don’t know for what reason. Until it is dealt with people don’t find it necessary to look at it in a different way,” Ashwin said.

“If I take myself back to my first tour in 2011-12, I had no clue about racial abuse and how you can be made to feel small in front of so many people. And the people actually laugh at you when you get abused, I had no idea what this was about.

“When I stood at the boundary line you wanted to stand another 10 yards in to keep yourself away from these things. But as things have stowed on and we have learned more and more, this is definitely not acceptable,” the veteran concluded.