Jasprit Bumrah set the tone early on Day 2 of the third Test at the Gabba, picking up two quick wickets in the morning session as India tightened their grip on Australia. Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith dug in, battling against probing spells from the Indian pacers.
Despite their struggles to score freely, the Indian bowlers couldn’t find a breakthrough as the partnership approached the 50-run mark. That’s when Mohammed Siraj decided to think outside the box, leading to a moment of hilarity.
In the 32nd over, Siraj delivered a ball outside the off-stump to Labuschagne, which was comfortably left alone. What followed left everyone puzzled—and entertained. Siraj walked up to Labuschagne, ignored his curious expressions, and calmly switched the bails around on the stumps.
Siraj went to change the bails over…
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 15, 2024
Marnus was having none of it 😅#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/nfQZ1sEZqo
The move, inspired by Stuart Broad’s trick during the 2023 Ashes that had dismissed Labuschagne, seemed to be an attempt at mind games. Siraj ensured the bails were securely placed before returning to his mark.
Labuschagne, however, was quick to restore the bails to their original position, sparking laughter on social media. While the tactic didn’t work immediately, Siraj eventually had the last laugh as Labuschagne nicked off to Nitish Kumar Reddy a couple of overs later, bringing an end to the resilient stand.