The Indian team management has accused Australia of “breaking protocol” and “leaking stories to the media” during the second and third Tests in Bengaluru and Ranchi, a report in the Times of India said.
The newspaper quoted an unnamed official with the Indian team saying that Australia’s team manager Gavin Dovey was assured by Bengaluru match referee Chris Broad that no action would be taken against Steve Smith for the DRS controversy, and the matter would not be reported by field umpire Nigel Llong. The Australia captain was caught looking up to the Australian dressing room for help on deciding whether he should use up a DRS review while batting. Smith admitted to his error later, calling it a “brain fade”.
Dovey introduced an Australian journalist to Broad and asked the match referee to “give him bytes on whether the dressing room review was reported or would be reported”, the official said, adding that this was a “breach of protocol”.
It was a “synchronised effort” by Australia’s team and media managers to share dressing room conversations with Australian journalists, the official said. The unnamed person further alleged that Australia’s media manager Kate Hutchison would be briefed by Dovey after every session and she would then “plant” the stories in the Australian media.
“For instance, in Ranchi, when Australian players were sledging Virat by using physio Patrick Farhat’s name, even the stump mic didn’t catch it, nor Virat spoke about it,” the official said. “However, at the end of the day’s play, the Australian journalists started asking Virat about the incident.”
In his press conference, Kohli was asked by an Australian journalist to explain his accusation of Smith disrespecting Farhat, who had treated the India captain’s shoulder injury during the match. Kohli had not made the accusation public.
“It is funny, all our guys ask about cricket and the first thing you ask is controversial,” Kohli said, in response to the question. “But it is okay. These things happen on the field. Four, five of them take Patrick’s name. I don’t know why . His job is to treat me. I did not find the reason behind it. I could not understand. You must ask him why they started taking his name.”
When Smith was asked about it during his press conference, he said, “I am a bit disappointed. I didn’t actually do anything. Virat was having a go at me out in the middle and saying how I was disrespecting Patrick Farhat when actually it was the exact opposite. If I was to do anything I think he did a pretty terrific job to get Virat back on the field after that shoulder injury.”