India's players were allegedly subjected to racial abuse from a section of the crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in the third test against Australia on Saturday.
India captain Ajinkya Rahane and other senior players spoke to the umpires, venue security and Cricket Australia representatives at the end of play, after quick bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj complained of racist slurs, while fielding near the boundary rope, local media reports.
India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara did not answer when asked about the matter at the end-of-day news conference.
Reuters was unable to confirm if the Indian cricket board (BCCI) had officially lodged a complaint with its Australian counterpart.
The two boards and the International Cricket Council (ICC) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"We've come to know about the issue," BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla told Indian news agency ANI.
"Cricket is a gentleman's game, and these kinds of things are not allowed or accepted."
According to the ICC anti-discrimination policy, the host board would have to probe any incident relating to 'inappropriate conduct' and submit a report to the world governing body within two weeks.
With the latest spike in COVID-19 cases in New South Wales, the State Government has enforced reduced crowds at sporting events, with only 10,075 attending day three. Venue officials have access to more than 800 security cameras at the ground and know the name of every spectator, so identifying a culprit would be easier than normal.
A man was banned from attending cricket matches in New Zealand for two years, after being found guilty of abusing England fast bowler Jofra Archer during a 2019 tour.
Reuters
