The much-awaited India vs Australia 4th Test went underway at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Boxing Day. IND vs AUS 4th Test Day 1 witnessed the hosts dominating the visitors with 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas scoring a quick-fire 60 off 65 balls. On the other hand, tempers flared outside the MCG with Indian fans confronting a bunch of Khalistan supporters chanting anti-India slogans.
A video has surfaced on social media with a group of Khalistan supporters raising slogans against India. Seeing this, a ground of Indian Cricket Team fans confronted them and replied to Khalistani slogans by raising their own slogans. A few of the Indian fans in the video can be heard saying 'Khalistan Terrorists' outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Thursday.
It is pertinent to mention here that it is not the first time Indian diaspora and Khalistan supporters have verbally clashed with each other in Melbourne. In 2023, a minor clash broke out on January 29 between members of the Indian diaspora and the Pro-Khalistan supporters in Melbourne, Australia. This was after thousands gathered in the city during a ‘referendum’ demanding a separate Sikh state, reported Australian media. The incident took place around 4:30 pm when a pro-India group, carrying Indian flags, arrived at Federation Square, where the referendum was taking place.
Coming back to the IND vs AUS 4th Test Day 1, Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat first at the MCG. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma also said he would have liked to bat first. The Boxing Day Test match started with 19-year-old Konstas taking Bumrah to the cleaners. In his debut innings, Sam Konstas made a quick-fire half-century. On the other, Usman Khwaja broke his raun draught by scoring 57 runs before he was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah.
The team selection of India came as a surprise as skipper Rohit Sharma made one tactical change. Shubman Gill was replaced with Washinton Sundar. Notably, Sundar can give bowling option to skipper Sharma but cricket experts raised their questions over the move as MCG is not known for spin friendly track.