India, Aug. 31 -- The Sandpaper Gate scandal remains one of the darkest chapters in Australian cricket history. What began as a ball-tampering incident during the 2018 Cape Town Test against South Africa quickly developed into a crisis that cost three Australian players their reputations and leadership positions. Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera attempting to alter the surface of the cricket ball using a piece of sandpaper. The images spread rapidly around the world, creating an uproar and putting Australia under enormous pressure.

Eight years after the incident, then-South Africa captain Faf du Plessis opened up about it, saying he felt sorry for Bancroft for the media trial he was subjected to.

"Bancroft, and honestly, my first i...