"Hey sledgers" - Gautam Gambhir takes a dig at Australians after Jonny Bairstow's controversial dismissal in Ashes 2023

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has taken a dig at Australia for dismissing Jonny Bairstow in a controversial fashion during the second Ashes Test.

In England's second innings, Bairstow ducked a short delivery from Cameron Green on the final ball of the 52nd over. The ball went to wicket-keeper Alex Carey. As the over came to an end, Bairstow came out of his crease to have a chat with his partner Ben Stokes.

Bairstow did not realize that the wicket-keeper Carey had thrown the ball towards the stumps and dismissed him stumped out. Quite a few fans, who had previously questioned Indian players' attempts of run-out at the non-striker's end, lauded Carey for his smartness. There were some experts who raised the Spirit of Cricket debate as well.

Gautam Gambhir sent a message to the Australian team and their fans with the following tweet:

"Hey sledgers….does spirit of the game logic apply to u or is it just for Indians?"

Pat Cummins gives a 1-word response when asked about withdrawing appeal for Jonny Bairstow

Australia went on to win the second Ashes Test by 43 runs and secured a 2-0 lead in the five-match World Test Championship (WTC) series against England. After the match, England captain Ben Stokes said that he would have withdrawn the appeal had his team attempted a dismissal in that fashion.

Pat Cummins was asked about his views regarding Stokes' statement. The Australian captain replied:

"Okay."

Jonny Bairstow's dismissal will remain a talking point in Ashes history for a long time. It was one of the turning points in the second Test as Bairstow was building a partnership with Ben Stokes for the sixth wicket. Had they stitched up a big partnership, England could have leveled the series in London.

The third Test of the Ashes series will begin on July 6 in Leeds. It will be interesting to see if Australia can take a 3-0 lead.