Indian recently won the test match series against Sri Lanka by 278 runs. The fans were overjoyed and the team was seen relaxing in peace after the series was over.
Yet there was something else that was being talked about more than Indian team’s victory. And that was the fine and the one-match ban imposed on the Ishan Sharma for being aggressive on the field. It was not the first time that such a thing happened with Indian players.
Our players, who mostly maintain a decent decorum and play to please the fans, sometimes lose their cool and face a tough fate because of it.
Presenting 7 fine Indian Players who were fined during the match:
1. Ishant Sharma
Look at the physique of Ishant Sharma, would you like to get a man like him angry? If you are smart, I am hoping your answer would be no. ESPN reports during India v Sri Lanka second test on the fourth day, Ishant Sharma lost his temper and flaunted some aggression by yelling some not so nice words (f*ck) while sending off the batsman. Things also got rough between him and Sri Lankan player Chandimal on the fifth day and Ishant Sharma was given one-match ban and a fine of 65 percent of his match fee.
2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Captain Cool did not lose his cool. Hindustan Times reports that earlier in June this year, Dhoni had a collision on the field with Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman during the first ODI of the three-match cricket series. It seemed and was reported as if Dhoni pushed Rahman on purpose. Later a statement given by Rahman cleared that he was in Dhoni’s way and failed to move out on time. As a result, Dhoni was fined with 75% of his match fee and Mustafizur was penalised with 50%.
3. Murali Vijay
Indian opener, Murali Vijay, did not yell/swear/abuse/hit anyone on the field. In fact, he scored 150 against Bangladesh. Yet he was fined. It happened because of a sticker on his bat. Cricket.com reports that clause 19.43 of ICC’s regulation states that the manufacturers’ logo should be placed within top 9 inches of the shoulder and should not exceed 50% of the edge. The new regulations were implemented in May. As a result, Murali Vijay was fined with 25 percent of the match fee.
4. Ravindra Jadeja
During the first India-England Test at Nottingham in July 2014, Ravindra Jadeja and James Anderson allegedly got into a scuffle. NDTV reports that Jadeja was fined with 50 percent of hi match fee for the breach of Article 2.2.11 of ICC for his alleged altercation with Anderson after they had left the field for lunch. The Indian team, on the other hand, demanded action to be taken against Anderson alleging that he pushed Jadeja and it is a break of level 2 regulations of the ICC.
5. Harbhajan Singh
Turbanator Harbhajan Singh was fined 25 percent of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct. According to a report by ESPN, this happened during country’s first ODI against South Africa in 2005. The code encounters ‘Pointing or gesturing towards the pavilion in an aggressive manner by a bowler upon the dismissal of a batsman.’ Umpires Daryl Harper, Hariharan Krishna, Ivaturi Sivaram & Aloke Bhattacharjee had filed the charges and Harbhajan Singh pleaded guilty to it. Well, he must have been one angry Sikh back then.
6. Virendra Sehwag
Even though Sehwag has also been penalised for showing dissent over the umpire’s decision, the one that remained in the news had not much to do with the field. As The Hindu reports, Virendra Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh were fined $200 on reaching Auckland because their shoes were dirty. The incident happened during the 47-day tour which included two tests and seven one-day internationals against the host. New Zealand, which is a nation dependent on farming are very particular about dirt and food products because it can contain germs that can destroy their farms.
7. Virat Kohli
As TOI reported back in 2012, during a match with Australia in Sydney, Kohli lost his calm after repeated provocation from a group in the stands and gave them the middle finger salute. This gesture costed him 50% of his match fee, but many players including Kevin Peterson and celebrity including Amitabh Bachchan supported him. He was advised to ignore such remarks in the future.
There are many such incidents where cricket had a lot more drama happening than just on the field. After all, there is a reason why fans love this sport so much. Isn’t it?