Harmanpreet Kaur bashes the umpires on camera after shocking reaction!! The series deciderbetween the women’s teams of India and Bangladesh was an absolute roller coaster. After Bangladesh put up a challenging total of 225 courtesy a first ever century by a Bangladesh Women cricketer from Fargana Hoque. In reply, India were absolutely cruising at 191/4, with Mandhana and Harleen Deol laying the platform for a convincing series win. But Bangladesh came back with a vengeance to skittle out the remaining 6 wickets in just 34 runs, thereby finishing the game in a pulsating tie.
While the spotlight should have been on the game and the way both teams contested with the series on the line, it was Harmanpreet, the Indian skipper who took the headlines for all the wrong reasons. It all started while she was batting on a pretty composed 14 of 20 balls, with the match firmly in their grasp. She attempted a reverse sweep, which she failed to connect, and was adjudged out lbw to the delight of the hosts. The Indian skipper was visibly irate with the decision as she believed that there was bat involved and had a very animated conversation with the on field umpires, since there was no DRS available for the series.
Image Credits: Times Of India
What Harmanpreet Kaur Said And Did In Her Post-Match Interview!?
However, what she did later was something that raised eyebrows all around. While walking away after the dismissal, she smashed the stumps with her bat in a fit of rage and then mockingly showed a thumbs-up to the crowd when she reached the boundary. Not something you’d expect from the skipper of the national side.
If you thought that the controversy did end here, you are in for a ride. At the post match presentation, she went on an offensive criticizing the umpiring of the match officials for the game. Apart from Harman, the likes of Yastika Bhatia and Meghna Singh were also giving out on dubious decisions. She said that we will be prepared next time to face not only the team but a similar level of umpiring. Now calling out match officials for poor umpiring is understandable, but not in the way that Harmanpreet did, with much better ways to vent your frustrations on a particular matter.
If that was not all, Harmanpreet went one step further in the trophy presentation by mockingly telling the Bangladesh skipper to “go ahead and call the umpires here, why are you alone over here? You haven’t tied the game, the umpires did it for you”. This did not sit well the Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana, who walked away from there.
The Response Of The Bangladeshi Skipper And Could It Have Been Handled Better!?
Nigar Sultana said in the press conference. “It is totally her (Harmanpreet’s) problem. Have nothing to do with it. As a player, she could have shown better manners. I can not tell you what happened. But it did not feel right to be there [for the photograph] with my team. It was not the right environment. That is why we went back. Cricket is a game of discipline and respect.”
And she went on to defend the umpires. This did not help as well. But it was all but done by then. And things were already escalated.
On the part of Harmanpreet Kaur, this was a very poor exhibition of sporting behaviour from the Indian skipper who just happened to lose her bearings after failing to win a match they had no business tying. She has since been fined 75% of her match fee and handed 4 demerit points to go with it.
Nigar Sultana said in the press conference. “It is totally her (Harmanpreet’s) problem. Have nothing to do with it. As a player, she could have shown better manners. I can not tell you what happened. But it did not feel right to be there [for the photograph] with my team. It was not the right environment. That is why we went back. Cricket is a game of discipline and respect.”
Husain Mahdi
14 May 2024Nigar Sultana said in the press conference. “It is totally her (Harmanpreet’s) problem. Have nothing to do with it. As a player, she could have shown better manners. I can not tell you what happened. But it did not feel right to be there [for the photograph] with my team. It was not the right environment. That is why we went back. Cricket is a game of discipline and respect.”