AHMEDABAD: It was on March 11, 2013, that Usman Khawaja was summoned by coach Mickey Arthur, captain Michael Clarke and the manager Gavin Dovey to the team meeting room in Mohali. Then 26, and on his maiden tour of India, Khawaja was probably expecting to get picked in the playing XI for the third Test after Australia lost
the first two tamely at Chennai and Hyderabad. To his surprise, he was informed by the Arthur he was “suspended” from playing the next Test for not submitting the homework given to him. The team management, instead, chose to go with Steve Smith for the Mohali Test. Khawaja was not the only one. Allrounder Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson and James Pattinson were other players involved in what was infamously called as ‘homework gate’.
