The first ODI between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground kicked off on Friday.

However, the match was briefly halted after two protesters walked out onto the ground, holding up signs against the Adani Group’s request for a loan for its mining project in Australia.

The incident took place just before the sixth over.

One of the invaders, carrying a placard denouncing India’s Adani Group’s coal project in Australia, reached close to the pitch just before pacer Navdeep Saini was getting ready to bowl the sixth over of the home team’s innings.

The intrusion caused a brief disruption before the protesters were escorted out.

The intrusion has also raised questions about security, particularly since the payers are in a bio-secure bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is noteworthy to mention that fans have returned to the ground for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic forced games before empty stadiums across the world. Cricket Australia has allowed filling up the stadiums to upto 50 per cent of their capacity in the India-Australia series.