Sunil Gavaskar feels there is something fishy about Josh Hazlewood’s sudden side strain that has put the pacer out of the pink-ball Test against India at the Adelaide Oval. Hazlewood had taken a dig at the batters during a press conference on Day 3 of the series opener.

When asked about Australia’s approach while chasing a big total, he said that the question should be put in front of the batters.

The 295-run defeat was marred by dressing room unrest, with players trying to compete with each other. Although Travis Head denied the reports, Michael Vaughan and Ravi Shastri felt that something was cooking behind the doors.

Gavaskar said that Australians are in a panic mode. “The panic has set in with former players calling for the removal of non-performers. Some of them even hinted that players are not on the same page in the dressing room after Josh Hazlewood’s interview where he put all the onus on the batters,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

In the previous pink-ball Test against India, Hazlewood took five wickets while conceding just eight runs in five overs in the 2020-21 series, with the visitors posting 36.

Gavaskar feels there is a conspiracy behind Josh’s removal, as he was omitted days after his comment in a press conference.

“Hazlewood is out of the second Test and possibly the series with a side strain. Strange that nobody noticed anything wrong with Hazlewood in the press conference. Mystery is the word we used in Indian cricket in the past. Now it is the Aussies, and like old McDonald, I am loving it.”

Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett have been added to the team as cover. However, Scott Boland is the favorite to replace Hazlewood in the playing group for the day-night Test.