India’s ‘Un-sportsmanlike Behaviour’ Raises Eyebrows
By Dinouk Colombage
It has been 28 years since India’s famous win over the formidable West Indies in the final of the ICC World Cup. Back in 1983 it was unimaginable that this team would go very far, having underachieved in the previous two editions of the tournament.
In 2011 the Indian team entered the World Cup with the tag of favourites. A mix of youthful exuberance in the form of Virat Kohli and the pure genius of Sachin Tendulkar makes their batting line up the envy of the tournament. The bowling department looks thin with Zaheer Khan looked upon as the leader of the pack. However, this team playing at home is a force to be reckoned with.
When India opened their campaign against co-host Bangladesh last week they showed the world why they are considered favourites, amassing a mammoth total of 370. Yet the Indian cricket administration nor their public have felt confident about the team’s chances of lifting the trophy. The Australians are never to be underestimated in this tournament and India is clearly not doing that.
Australian Skipper Ricky Ponting in a heated moment following his run out during the Zimbabwe game chose to throw his gloves at his bag. However, his aim was off and it hit the LCD television set in the dressing room. Officials with the Australian cricket team immediately notified the Gujarat Cricket Association that is in charge of the stadium. The Association’s secretary had been quoted by The Hindustan Times as saying that the association would ‘not lodge a complaint because we don’t think it is serious.’
However, in a quick change of heart the association decided to go ahead with a formal complaint. Indian media latched onto this complaint with glee running stories claiming that the Australian captain had ‘smashed a tv set in the dressing room with his bat’.
Sri Lankan match referee Roshan Mahanama decided that Ponting should be reprimanded and not fined nor suspended. No doubt this ruling did not go down well with the Indian public.
India’s image as a host nation was further tarnished with reports emerging that the BCCI declined New Zealand’s request for a temporary physiotherapist and trainer following the sudden departure of their own staff.
New Zealand physiotherapist, Dave Shackel, and trainer, Bryan Stronach, rushed back to New Zealand to attend to their affected families in Christchurch following the devastating earthquake.
Going into Friday’s crunch game against Australia, New Zealand had requested the services of Paul Close, a New Zealander, who is a physio at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. The BCCI declined this request citing prior commitments on the part of Close. On the eve of the game the New Zealand coach John Wright had been frantically searching for a replacement.
New Zealand does have a plan B in place which would see Australia lending the services of their physio to the New Zealand team as well. Regardless of the outcome of this incident the BCCI has shown itself up in poor light as it does appear that they are deliberately hindering the opposition teams’ progress.
The criticism of India’s hosting abilities continued as the South African national anthem was cut short prior to the West Indies-South Africa game.
This move angered many fans who had further learnt that Indian catering trucks had been turned away at the entrance by the police. This resulted in the South African players having to wait over an hour for their lunch, and it also meant many fans were forced to wait much longer before receiving their quota.
One week in to the tournament and India’s hosting nightmares appear to be continuing from the Commonwealth Games.
