CricDigs Blogs

The Australians just can’t help it, I said it before and I will say it again. The Aussie team is a bunch of sore, sore losers. Losers not in the literal sense because their winning record is still very good, but because of the fact that just a hint of an opposing team player coming good makes them jittery and brings out the worst of behaviour from them. Day one of the Delhi test match essentially belonged to Gautam Gambhir. The Delhi batsman was in total control from the very onset and the Aussie bowlers were on the receiving end. So, how did the Kangaroos react to this? In the usual manner by trying to provoke the batsman into doing something silly. This time it wasn’t Symonds or Hayden, but the newest member of the Aussie cricketing drama — Shane Watson.

Rather than concentrating on how to get Gambhir out, Watson seemed more content at mouthing off Gambhir on more than one occasion. Somewhere around the 51st – 52nd over mark, as Gambhir was completing a run, he made some gesture to Gambhir with his elbow. What Gambhir did in return won’t be described as the best approach to the situation but it felt good to see the way the diminutive batsman stuck his elbow out as he turned for the second run and his elbow poked Watson right in the rib cage. I totally agree with Mohinder Amarnath when he says that rather than taking notice of Gambhir’s retaliation or questioning the sensibility of reacting the way he did, may be the match referee should look at the circumstances that were created by the Aussies that made Gambhir react in the way he did.

And this wasn’t the end of it. As the day proceeded and it was clear that the Aussies had lost all control over the proceedings of the match, the usually reticent Simon Katich started mirroring Watson’s sentiments by repeatedly engaging Gambhir in futile arguments and it was with the umpire’s intervention that the Katich eventually returned to bowling. And this is when it was Ponting who had appealed for the spirit of the game to be upheld in this series.
Ponting had questioned the spirit of playing the game being alive in the Indian dressing room. So which dressing room has the spirit now, Mr. Ponting? Well can someone please make sure that during the match referee’s hearing, Gambhir’s plight is highlighted or is it going to be another case of a sub-continental player being penalised and the ‘phirangi’ partner-in-crime getting off the hook? With Chris Broad as the match referee, I do fear the worst. I hope I am wrong this time.