Watch: Rohit Sharma Recalls Heated Exchange With Steve Smith on Australia Tour

Rohit Sharma recalled a heated on-field exchange with Steve Smith during the 2014–15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, sparked by an LBW appeal while he was bowling part-time.

Rohit Sharma recalled an incident with Steve Smith during the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. The opening Test at Adelaide, dedicated to the late Phil Hughes, saw some notable on-field banter between the two players.

On Day 4, while Smith was batting, Rohit—bowling part-time—appealed for an LBW after Smith stepped down the pitch and missed the ball. The umpire turned down the appeal, prompting a visible reaction from Smith that seemed to frustrate Rohit.

In response, Sharma yelled, “What? What?” sparking a brief verbal exchange. Virat Kohli also intervened, telling Smith to mind his position, which intensified the moment and added to the on-field tension between the teams.

Rohit said that David Warner, Virat Kohli, and Cheteshwar Pujara also joined the exchange before the situation eventually calmed down.

“Steve Smith came straight and padded the ball I bowled. So, I appealed to the umpire. And then he started to ask the umpire. So, I said, ‘Why are you asking the umpire, bro? You should only bat. Let the umpire do its job, and let us do our job. Then, there was a bit of a heated moment when everyone started to come,” Rohit said in a viral video.