Ishant vs Jadeja: SHOCKING! Aakash Chopra reveals how Australian broadcasters created controversy vs India

India are set to tour Australia later this year, for a five-match Test series; i.e. the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. During the 2018/19 tour, Virat Kohli-led India created history, becoming the first-ever Asian team to win a Test series on Australian soil. During the second Test, of the four-match series, in Perth, there was a heated argument between Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. While it was a disagreement over the two teammates on-the field, former Indian opener-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra recently revealed that the Australian broadcasters purposely made a big deal out of the argument to create a controversy versus India. 

Talking in a podcast on 2 Sloggers YouTube channel, Chopra said, “This is one thing I learnt when I travelled to Australia in 2018 for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for a commentary stint with Channel 7. Generally, we were taught to stay neutral in commentary. India won the first Test there and lost the second, and then I understood that when India plays in Australia, they don’t play against the Australian team only but against a whole country, which includes their whole press.”

‘When Ponting tore into the Indian team, I was stunned…’

He further mentioned, “They used to release videos – they did it in front of me when Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja had a heated exchange with each other while standing in the 30-yard circle. The broadcasters amped up the stump mic as they were abusing each other. They cut the clip and shared it with the press in front of me. After that, when we were talking off the field, I was like, what are we actually trying to achieve because it’s nothing? Then Ricky (Ponting) was there with us, and he said that ‘making a mountain out of a molehill’. The moment he went into the air, he tore into the Indian team, and I was stunned that he had just said something else a few minutes back.”

Chopra added, “Channel 7 was very kind at that time; they called me in the commentary box. I didn’t have the stint at that time, but they called me to present India’s case. I said there is no team where players have no disagreements; it’s a game played by adults.” He concluded, “The next day when we lost the Perth Test, I was driving somewhere and picked a newspaper, and the front page news was about Ishant and Jadeja with the headline,”There is in-fighting in the Indian cricket team,” it was front-page news. Then, I understood that leave the neutral commentary when you are playing against Australia in Australia and then understand that the flag of India is more important.”

Talking about India’s 2018/19 series versus hosts Australia, Kohli & Co. won 2-1 and replicated the same during their 2020/21 tour Down Under. In 2020/21 series, regular captain Kohli returned home due to paternity leave following the series opener loss. However, a young and depleted India stunned the Aussies by winning the series 2-1, under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy.

The upcoming India-Australia Test series gets underway on Nov 22 in Perth. It will be a five-match series including a day-night Test in Adelaide.

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