MITCHELL JOHNSON: Mohammed Siraj’s passion for the game went too far with Travis Head with pavilion send-off

Well I’m in no position to lecture India fast bowler and new crowd villain Mohammed Siraj on his send-off of Travis Head, because I’m the first to admit that I gave a few myself for my own reasons.

When you are in the moment and in a pressure situation, it’s a huge release when you get someone out who has just pumped you all over the park and we saw that with the Head and Siraj situation during the pink-ball Test.

Everyone has their own thoughts but unless you have been in that situation yourself, you may not fully understand why a bowler would react in that way. There are many reasons why send-offs happen.

In this case, only the two players know exactly what happened for sure. Watching on TV, we saw lips moving, hands pointing and the crowd – in Head’s hometown – come alive after the end of his blistering knock. Each time Siraj was shown on the big screen or had the ball in hand for the rest of the day, he was followed by boos.

I personally am a little disappointed they were both found guilty for code of conduct breaches after the moment that sparked the series. Siraj was fined 20 per cent of his match fee and Head was reprimanded, while both had one demerit point added to their disciplinary record.

The clash was the moment we had all been waiting for and the crowd enjoyed it, quite clearly. Like I always say, you play to win on skill but the fight, competitiveness, confident body language and yes, even a few verbal exchanges, are all what makes the game that little bit more exciting.

India came out hard in the first Test in Perth, showing the Aussies they were up for the fight. Australia fought back in Adelaide and showed they are up for the challenge.

I hope the disciplinary action taken against Siraj and Head doesn’t change the way the series is being played because I find it entertaining to watch when both teams are on the front foot.

While I do recall giving batsmen verbal send-offs, I don’t think I ever pointed someone back to the pavilion.

In the moment of getting a wicket, the adrenalin is going, and you could be in a period of the game when a batsman is all over you and that pleasure when you get them out gets the better of you.

We are not robots and cricketers are human. Sometimes these things just happen. It isn’t a pre-prepared thing bowlers do.

It’s funny when I see the footage of my stare-down of Jimmy Anderson at Adelaide Oval. It’s embarrassing to watch but you could say that’s a send-off in some ways, right? When I reached my teammates, I did say something in the huddle with them as Anderson and I had history and we had both sent each other off at times.

You get annoyed when you are on the receiving end but in the end, I always understood it was heat of the moment stuff and I would either take it on the chin or give it back as I trod off the ground.

The other issue involving Siraj in the second Test is his “celebrappeal” when he didn’t turn to appeal. Out of respect to the umpires, you should always turn and appeal to them, even if you think it’s clearly out.

It’s not a great look and it is an easy fix. I don’t think Siraj was did it intentionally, but he should know better at this level.

It’s not a big deal but something Siraj will want to rectify now he has become the crowd target, like Stuart Broad and the likes were when they travelled to Australia.

It will be interesting to see how Siraj responds to the extra attention and if it will help or hinder his performance. He seems to be one of those bowlers who crosses the boundary line and that fire in the belly ignites in him.

Time will tell and Siraj will have a huge role to play leading the Indian attack if Jasprit Bumrah misses the third Test with injury.

At 1-1, the Border-Gavaskar series is well and truly alive. The Aussie fightback was convincing and has sent a message that they won’t just fold like India may have thought.

And Australia are still not at their best in the batting department. Even though they were better, they still haven’t hit their straps yet.