The 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy is known for the spectacular comeback of Team India. After losing the first match, the team led by Ajinkya Rahane defeated the hosts 2-1 in the series. The series saw a lot of drama and ahead of the third Test in Sydney, some Indian players, including Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant, were asked to stay in hotels after being spotted at a restaurant. Regarding the matter, then Australia captain Tim Paine called these players selfish.
A video went viral on social media, in which Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini were seen at a restaurant after their win in Melbourne. Later he had a corona test and after the report came negative, he was available for the third test in Sydney. Speaking about the incident on Voot Select’s series Bandon Mein Tha Dum, former Australia captain Tim Paine said, “I mean those four or five people risked the whole Test series. Why? For Nando’s chips. To be honest, it was very selfish behavior.”
Fast bowler Pat Cummins also pointed out how some members of the Australian team were angry to see the Indian players allegedly “flouting the rules”. “It angered some players. Especially those who had to spend Christmas without their families.” Ajinkya Rahane led India in that series after the first Test in Adelaide. He told how Australia started playing mind games after losing the Melbourne Test and the news of Indian players breaking the rules of COVID was completely wrong.
Rahane said, “The players seen in the pictures were actually waiting for their takeaway orders. Due to bad weather, they had to wait inside. The story told about this was wrong. The Australian Cricket Board said that when you go to Sydney from Melbourne, no one can come out of the hotel and you have to be quarantined.
Rahane further said about this, “Everything was normal in the outside world especially Sydney. There was no lockdown, everyone was allowed to move around and players were asked to stay inside. We knew Australia started playing mind games, especially after what happened in Melbourne.”