Kohli slams racial abuse faced by Siraj & Bumrah, demands strict action against offenders

Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Sunday issued a strong-worded statement over the racial abuse faced by pacers Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj calling the incident 'absolutely unacceptable'. Kohli remarked that having gone through 'many incidents' of pathetic things being said from the boundary lines, this incident was the 'absolute peak of rowdy behaviour.' Asking the authorities to look into the matter with 'absolute urgency and seriousness', Kohli stated that it was 'sad' to see such incidents happen on the field. 

Read: Ashwin Reveals He Too Faced Racial Abuse In Sydney In 2011; 'Don't Know Why They Do It'

Read: India Lodge Complaint As Siraj And Bumrah Face Racial Abuse By Crowd At SCG, BCCI Furious

Siraj and Bumrah racially abused 

Team India's frontline pacers Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj were subjected to racial abuse by the Australian crowd on the second and third day's play in the ongoing third Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice-President Rajiv Shukla condemning the incident has asked the Australian Board (Cricket Australia) to take cognizance. The reigning BCCI VP also went on to add that the governing body of world cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC), should also act on this issue.

Speaking to ANI, a BCCI official in the know of developments said that the Indian cricket board stands with the boys as such behavior is "unacceptable". "The tour has surely turned sour and the last thing you expect in a civilized society is racial abuse. The ICC (International Cricket Council) and Cricket Australia need to be very responsive to this as the possible alternatives are not very pleasant for cricket, especially during the present circumstances. The Sydney Test has now become an acid test for CA interim CEO Nick Hockley and we are in complete solidarity with our boys. Racial abuse is unacceptable," the official explained.

Following the incident on Sunday, Cricket Australia issued a statement reaffirming their 'zero tolerance' policy towards discriminatory behavior. The board also launched an investigation parallel with the New South Wales police to probe the incident. They also 'unreservedly' apologized to the Indian team. 

Read:Cricket Australia Apologises As India's Siraj, Bumraj Racially Abused Twice; No Action Yet

Read: India's Siraj Racially Abused By Australian Crowd Again; Match Resumes After Abusers Moved