Former Indian opening batter Navjot Singh Sidhu slammed Travis Head for his 'obnoxious' behaviour during day five of the fourth Test in Melbourne. Sidhu seemingly referred to Head's gesture following Rishabh Pant's wicket, claiming that he insulted a nation of 1.5 billion Indians and deserves a stringent punishment for the same.
After Head dismissed Rishabh Pant with a near-rank long-hop, the South Australian came up with a bizarre celebration, causing netizens to label it as 'obscene and vulgar'. The wicket of Pant also proved to be the turning point of the Test as India lost seven wickets in the session to allow Australia to go 2-1 up in the series.
Taking to X, the retired cricketer feels Head is not setting a good example by such gestures, stating:
"Travis head’s obnoxious behaviour during the course of the Melbourne test doesn’t auger well for for the gentleman’s game…… sets the worst possible example when there are kids, women , young & old watching the game……. this caustic conduct did not insult an individual but a nation of 1.5 billion Indians……stringent punishment that would serve a deterrent for the future generations needs to be slapped on him so that no one dares follow suit."
"That’s normally the running joke" - Pat Cummins on Travis Head's celebration
In the post-game presser, Australian captain Pat Cummins clarified the gesture, stating that Head's celebration denoted that he is wanting to put his finger on ice after bowling. Cummins explained, as quoted by The Hindustan Times:
"Oh, sorry! Yes, okay! I can explain that. His finger is so hot, that he is going to put it in a cup of ice. Yes, that’s what it is. That’s normally the running joke. Was it at the Gabba or somewhere, where he got a wicket as well and just got straight to the fridge, grabs a bucket of ice, puts his finger in and just walks in front of Lyno (Nathan Lyon). Just like that, thinks its very funny. So that’s what it would have been, nothing else."
