Cricket Is No Longer A Gentleman’s Game And This India-Australia Series Is Proof Enough

“Cricket is a gentleman’s game.”

Growing up in a cricket-crazy nation like India, this is a phrase that I’ve heard since I started playing and watching the game. As a 90’s kid, I saw players like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble setting standards of discipline and sportsmanship on the field. There sure used to be some banter between the players, especially when India played against Australia or Pakistan but it used to stay on the field.

Sadly, those days are long gone.

The current edition of the Border-Gavaskar trophy between the two top-ranked test sides in the world has seen more drama off the field than on it. While an exchange of words was underway before and during the first test too, it got all heated up during the second test at Bengaluru when Aussie captain Smith decided to openly cheat during a DRS referral and a sore Aussie media blamed Virat Kohli for complaining about the incident. One network even had the audacity to compare him with animals in a Facebook poll.

 

And this time, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has made a callous remark on Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin by threatening to hit him on the head with a bouncer.

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“I look forward to bowling to Ashwin in Australia. (I might) take his advice and hit him on the badge.”

During the second test match at Bengaluru, Ashwin took a jibe at Starc by rubbing his forehead with his finger after getting him out. Ashwin’s reaction was a response to Starc’s similar action when Abhinav Mukund top-edged his ball for a six.

 

The sad thing is that the insensitive remark has come from an Australian after they lost Philip Hughes to a neck injury when he was hit with a lethal bouncer while batting in a domestic match.

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But the Australian media hasn’t learnt their lesson even after all this. In the most recent episode, an Australian newspaper labeled Virat Kohli ‘dictatorial’ and compared him to American President Donald Trump, who as we all know, is not a very loved personality around the world.

 

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar aptly pointed out how the Australian media is nothing but an extension of their team when it comes to sledging.

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“We should not bother too much about the Australian media and what they write as they are an extension of their cricket team’s support staff. The focus now should shift to cricket from off-the-field issues.”

 

And his thought is shared by cricket experts. Here is what Harsha Bhogle and Vikram Sathaye had to say.

Competitiveness and aggression on the field is healthy for the game of cricket but turning it into a mudslinging contest will only make the crowd lose respect for the game. As international players, these cricketers are ambassadors of their nations on the field and the way they conduct themselves leaves a mark on the minds of their countless followers. It is better that the players shift their focus on the decider at Dharamsala and the Australian media stops making stupid analogies to garner cheap publicity.

Let’s keep cricket a gentleman’s game.

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