Two arrested in rock throw incident: report

Local authorities have reportedly arrested two people in connection to a rock throwing incident involving the Australian team bus in Guwahati on Wednesday morning (AEST).

A rock roughly the size of a cricket ball was hurled at the bus on its journey back to the team hotel following their T20 win over India, piercing the glass and shattering a window.

Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident but the Assam Cricket Association, hosting its first international cricket match in seven years, has demanded answers from local police.

Image Id: 719232C7DA1846448517545CEFFF2DDD Image Caption: The damage to the Australian team's bus after a rock was thrown // cricket.com.au

There was was an increased security presence on Wednesday for Australia's 15km journey to the LGB Airport ahead of their flight to Hyderabad; officers in military uniform and armed with rifles lined much of the streets between the hotel and the airport.

"The police have already arrested two persons and are investigating into the matter," ACA secretary Pradip Buragohain told Press Trust of India.

"We made every attempt to ensure a foolproof security but don't know how this happened. It was near the team hotel and not at the crowded street near the stadium.

"I can assure that such incident won't occur in future again. There will be a thick security cover when the Australian team leaves for Hyderabad."

Image Id: 4A5F5BF8A73C4D0A9A721245EAFB2499 Image Caption: The Australian bus outside the team hotel after the incident // cricket.com.au

Local government minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also expressed his apologies and vowed to "punish the guilty"

The incident left a sour taste after an otherwise successful evening at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, which attracted a sell-out crowd for its first ever international match.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa said it was a scary moment for the Australian players, who were also targeted by a rock on their recent Test tour of Bangladesh.

"I had my headphones on quite loud and was looking towards the other side of the bus," Zampa said. "I just heard this loud bang. It was a pretty scary five seconds or so.

"Our security guard mentioned quite quickly that it might have been a rock. It was a pretty scary incident. You never want those things to happen. It was disappointing.

"I think everyone was alright. I think after what happened in Bangladesh with the rock as well, no one was too rattled. It was dealt with quite well, I think.

"The Indian fans are so great to us, which is one of the reasons why it's so hard to travel here. They're so loud, they love cricket and they're so passionate about it.

"Guwahati doesn't get much cricket as it is so for one person to do that and to spoil it for the rest of the Indian fans, it's pretty disappointing."

The ACA have made clear their intention to bring regular top-flight cricket to Guwahati and they have moved quickly to assure the tourists that the incident was a one off.

"I am ... meeting the Australian team officials to assure them of security on their way back from Guwahati," ACA vice president Debojit Saikia told the Hindustan Times.

"The atmosphere was great during the match and we will make sure that such freak incidents won’t mar the reputation of Assam cricket."

Australia's Qantas Tour of India

Australia squad: David Warner (c), Jason Behrendorff, Dan Christian, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.

India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Axar Patel.

T20 Fixtures

October 7: JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi

October 10: Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati

October 13: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad