India fan ejected from Adelaide Oval during IND vs AUS pink-ball Test for waving ‘sandpaper’

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy has certainly lived up to its hype, with tensions running high both on and off the field. In addition to the heated exchanges between players, such as the altercation between Travis Head and Mohammed Siraj, there was also a notable incident in the stands at the Adelaide Oval. A video has surfaced showing an Indian fan being escorted out by stadium security, indicating that emotions are running high among the supporters as well. With three more Test matches to go, it's clear that this series is far from over and promises to be a thrilling and intense battle between two fierce rivals.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, an individual wearing India's Test jersey can be seen allegedly waving a piece of sandpaper. The fans in the stands can be seen waving goodbye at him in jest as he is pulled away from the area in the video.

The sandpaper is in reference to the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in which then-Australia captain Steve Smith admitted to scratching the ball up during a Test match against South Africa in Cape Town. It became a major scandal that led to Smith and David Warner being sacked as captain and vice-captain.

Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft, who was caught putting the piece of sandpaper inside his pants, were all banned for a year from all forms of cricket. While Smith and Warner went on to resume their international careers, Bancroft has struggled to find a place in the Australian team since then.

The Adelaide Test itself didn't last too long despite the plethora of events taking place around it, of which this video is only the most recent addition. India came into the match after thrashing Australia in the first Test in Perth and there was all kinds of pressure on the hosts. Mitchell Starc took six wickets as India were all out for 180 batting first after which a masterful 140 off 141 balls from Travis Head helped Australia scored 337 in their first innings. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj took four wickets each. The latter accounted for Head's dismissal and the send-off he gave the batter and Head's retaliation eventually led to both players being punished by the International Cricket Council.

India's batters couldn't handle the Australian pacers with the pink ball once again, with captain Pat Cummins taking five wickets and the visitors being all out for 175. Australia then strolled to victory by chasing down a target of 19 runs. in the first session of the third day. The third Test will now be played at the Gabba, where India had recorded a historic win over Australia in their last game at the venue, and starts on Saturday.