Ishan Kishan warned for arguing with referee amid allegations of ball tampering in Australia

The final day of the unofficial Test match between India A and Australia A in Mackay was full of drama. Goalkeeper Ishan Kishan has faced accusations of “inappropriate conduct” following ball-tampering allegations made against the visiting Indian team. Tensions have escalated ahead of kick-off on Sunday, November 3, and Ishan could get into trouble if officials accuse him of “dissent on the pitch.”

According to local media, Ishan Kishan may face sanctions for an altercation with referee Shawn Craig. The start of play at the Great Barrier Reef Arena on day four was delayed when officials changed the ball, citing “scratches” on the previous one. Indian players were seen arguing with the umpires and Craig was overheard using a stump microphone to claim that the tourists were responsible for the scratches.

Ishan Kishan expressed his dissatisfaction with the change of ball and got into a heated argument with umpire Shawn.

“Scratch it, we’ll change the ball. There will be no more discussion; let’s play. This is not a discussion; you will play with this ball,” referee Shawn told the Indian players, as quoted by The Age.

Ishan responded by calling the decision “very stupid”, which irritated the judge even more.

“Sorry, you will be punished for dissent. This is inappropriate behavior; it was because of your actions that we changed the ball,” retorted referee Shawn.

It is not yet known what the seriousness of the ball tampering allegations will be. Under Cricket Australia’s Team Code of Conduct, if players involved in altering the condition of the ball are found guilty, they may face penalties, including potential bans.

Finally, play started on Sunday with the new ball and Australia A secured victory by seven wickets. They they needed 86 runs to win on the last day after finishing Day 3 at 139 for 3.

Captain Nathan McSweeney scored an unbeaten 88 and Beau Webster added 61 to help Australia A clinch a comfortable victory.

India scored 312 in their second innings, showing marked improvement – Sai Sudharsan scored a hundred and Devdutt Padikkal added 88. However, the Australian batsmen performed too well in the final innings. India found themselves on the defensive from the very first innings, conceding just 107 when they batted first. Mukesh Kumar stood out for India A by taking six wickets to restrict Australia A to 195 in the first innings.

The second unofficial Test between both teams will start on November 7 in Melbourne.