Bengaluru Test: Cheatgate erupts after Smith's 'brain fade'

BENGALURU: Controversy again threatens to overshadow an India-Australia series after Virat Kohli, following India's heart-warming win, accused his counterpart Steve Smith of cheating on DRS protocols and looking to the dressing room for advice, which is against the rules.
Kohli said Australia crossed the line “that you don't cross on a cricket field” and added, “Sledging and playing against the opponents is different, but...I don't want to mention the word, but it falls in that bracket. I would never do something like that on the cricket field. Asked if the word he was looking for was “cheating”, Kohli said: “I didn't say that, you did.”
Smith admitted there was a “brain fade” on his part.
The Indian and Australian teams are doughty customers in the middle with bat, ball or sledge. After a surprisingly 'peaceful' opening encounter in Pune, the two sides sent temperatures soaring in Bengaluru with verbal volleys, antics and mimics. But the best theatricals were saved for Tuesday. Skippers Virat Kohli and Steve Smith had their moments on the field and traded words on the field, the full impact of which was felt after India's empathic 75-run win.
The situation reached a flashpoint at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, when the visitors were precariously placed at 73/3 in the 21st over of their run chase. Smith, who throughout the match pulled out many tricks from his bag to unnerve the opposition, was adjudged leg-before off Umesh Yadav.
The dismissal, at a point when Smith's stay at the crease was crucial, didn't merit a review considering he was clearly plumb. But he still considered asking for one, and what he did before actually seeking the review infuriated Kohli, who charged towards Smith even as umpire Nigel Llong stepped in.
Smith, who is well-versed with the laws of the DRS system, was clearly aware that the only person whom he could turn to for an opinion was the non-striker (Peter Handscomb), but much to everybody's astonishment, he chose to seek the wisdom of his mates in the dressing room. “I was looking at our boys. So shouldn't have done that. A bit of brain fade. Peter Handscomb told me to look out there (dressing room),” Smith said.