Virat Kohli Mocks Aussie Crowd with Sandpaper Gesture and Pocket-Emptying Gesture After Smith's Dismissal

Virat Kohli, renowned for his intense on-field demeanor, has constantly maintained a charged dynamic with the crowd. His interactions with spectators, particularly during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, have frequently ignited strong reactions, leading Australian fans to react to Kohli's actions with resounding boos in the stands. However, during India's quest to defend a target of 162 against Australia in Sydney, Kohli defiantly countered the jeers with a bold and assertive gesture of his own.

Kohli gestured emptying his pockets – a reference to the infamous sandpapergate scandal which rocked the Australian cricket in early 2018. Australia's Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera applying sandpaper to the red ball to change its shape during a Test against South Africa and thus help the Aussie bowlers.

The scandal resulted in Bancroft, as well as then-captain Steve Smith and his deputy, David Warner, receiving bans. Both, Smith and Warner were banned from international cricket for a year, with the former also being stripped off of captaincy. A few years later, however, Cricket Australia would go on to lift the leadership ban on Smith.

Watch Kohli's gesture:

Virat Kohli's relationship with the Australian crowd has always been turbulent, but during the ongoing series, the animosity has reached new heights. The 36-year-old sparked controversy in the fourth Test in Melbourne following a shoulder-thud incident with debutant Sam Konstas, which placed him under intense scrutiny.

Despite receiving a 20 percent fine on his match fee and being relentlessly booed by the Aussie fans throughout the game, Kohli refused to be intimidated. Instead, he responded by urging the crowd to boo even louder, showing he was unfazed by their hostility and ready to fuel the tension further.

The 36-year-old stepped in as captain on Day 3 in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah in the ongoing Sydney Test; Bumrah faced an injury during the second day of the Test, and was rushed to hospital for scans. It was later revealed that Bumrah was dealing with back spasm, and while he did bat in India's second innings, India were without their star pacer in Australia's 162-run chase.

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