Nine Years After Brain Fade, Cheteshwar Pujara Drops A Bombshell On Australia
Brain fade. Back in 2017, that was the term that had the cricket world buzzing. During a Test match between India and Australia in Bengaluru, after being given out LBW, Steve Smith was seen seeking an opinion from his dressing room
- Steve Smith admitted to a "brain fade" after seeking dressing room help on a DRS call in 2017
- Virat Kohli accused Australia of frequently consulting their dressing room for DRS decisions in 2017
- Cheteshwar Pujara claimed Australia had a live feed in their dressing room during the 2017 Test
Brain fade. Back in 2017, that was the term that had the cricket world buzzing. During a Test match between India and Australia in Bengaluru, after being given out LBW, Steve Smith was seen seeking an opinion from his dressing room on whether to review his leg-before dismissal during the second innings of the second Test. The Australian captain later acknowledged his fault in the incident and dubbed it a "brain fade". Virat Kohli later accused the Australian side of other such instances, where they looked towards the dressing room for help in reviewing decisions during the Bengaluru Test.
Former India star Cheteshwar Pujara claimed Australia had a live feed.
"Every time you looked at their DRS decisions, they were spot on. They knew whether they had to take it or not. Until then, none of us Indian players was aware that Australia had a live feed in their dressing room," Pujara said on Aakash Chopra's YouTube channel.
"Normally, the dressing-room feed is delayed, but they had a live feed ready. So, they used to sneak a look towards the dressing room so that nobody would catch them, and then make the call on whether to take the DRS or not. It was unfair in a way. You are searching for the loophole. If this was done by any other team, they would've objected. But they had no problem doing it themselves."
India won the four-match series 2-1. Australia won the first Test before India drew level in the second Test. The third Test ended in a draw, while India won the fourth Test.
"I too sledged. We checked if the camera was on us or not, or if the stump mic was not catching anything. But you do not want to be in that situation. You do that when the opponent is sledging a lot; then you go into that space where, 'I am not going to hold back now.' Ultimately, the purpose is to pick up a wicket, but a lot of the time you end up making personal comments, which you are not proud of," he added.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Steve Smith
India Cricket Team
Australia Cricket Team