New Delhi: Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed that the Indian players were not allowed to share the lift with their Australian counterparts during the Sydney Test. This move was something the visitors found ‘too difficult to digest’. Both teams had to stay in a bio bubble due to the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic during the entire tour. However, not being allowed to share the lift with Australian players riled the Indian cricketers expecially Ravichandran Ashwin.
“We reached Sydney, they (authorities) locked us with severe restrictions. There was a unique thing that happened in Sydney. It was strange, to be honest. Both India and Australia were in the same bubble. But when Australian players were in the lift, they won’t allow Indian players inside it,” Ashwin said.
The seasoned spinner made the revelation during a YouTube video chat with India’s fielding coach R Sridhar.
“Seriously guys? We felt so bad at that time. We are in the same bubble. But you get into the lift and you can’t share the space with another person staying in the same bubble. It was too difficult for us to digest,” Ashwin added.
The Test was also marked by allegations of racial abuse against Indian pacers Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah.
In the matches that he had played before missing the series-deciding fourth Test due to a back injury, Ashwin contributed significantly. He helped India stage an incredible turnaround that saw the visitors claim the rubber 2-1.
Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari – both fighting injuries – batted for more than five hours on the final day of the Sydney Test. It helped India achieve an improbable draw and keep the series locked at 1-1.
In the final Test at Brisbane’s Gabba, India chased down a record target of 328 to beat Australia by three wickets. In the process India ended home team’s unbeaten run of 32 years at the venue.