Actions and comments of Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur have come under intense scrutiny, drawing considerable attention, especially after her vehement verbal outburst during the decisive 3rd and final One-Day International on India’s recent tour of Bangladesh. During the post-match presentation, Kaur raised serious allegations of biased umpiring, setting off a heated controversy that has captured headlines and sparked widespread debate.
Kaur’s emotionally charged reaction to the perceived bias in the umpiring decisions has raised eyebrows, as public displays of dissent at the scale Harmanpreet Kaur did are not very common in the realm of cricket. Understandably, while the passion and pressure of the match can evoke strong emotions, her choice of expressing discontent through a verbal attack has been met with disapproval and following strong criticism from former legends Anjum Chopra and Madan Lal, Diana Edulji, in her exclusive column for The Indian Express, too has expressed her displeasure.
Edulji starts off by writing, “I have been very disturbed by the visuals from Saturday’s India-Bangladesh women’s game at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka that ended in a tie. I have been watching cricket for a long time but have never seen anyone behave that way India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur did after the game.” She further acknowledged that cricketers reacting to bad umpiring is common and understandable to an extent because such is the pressure of crucial matches and the fact that, yes, “I understand wrong decisions were made.”
🗨️ "Bring the umpires too"
Nigar Sultana was unhappy with the remarks and took her players back to the dressing room.#BANvIND #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/PZNoZEei1w
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) July 23, 2023
Edulji further touched on how skipper Harmanpreet’s “unnecessary” post-game actions set a negative example and can affect the team culture because she is one looked up to by hundreds of thousands. In a now-viral clip from the post-series presentation, Harmanpreet Kaur is purported to have called for the umpires to join for a photo with the trophy, insinuating their involvement in helping Bangladesh secure a draw in the crucial 3rd and final ODI, resulting in a series draw.
On the same, Edulji wrote, “It was deplorable to see Harmanpreet call the umpires to pose with the Bangladesh team, suggesting that they were part of the team and playing for them. I am aware that Harman is hot-tempered, and maybe her ugly conduct was because she wasn’t able to score runs. But she crossed the limit that day as she continued to protest during the presentation ceremony.”
🚨 JUST IN 🚨
ICC takes action against Harmanpreet Kaur for her behaviour in Bangladesh & suspends her for 2 International matches. #CricketTwitter #BANvIND pic.twitter.com/ey7Ln92cB0
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) July 25, 2023
Diana Edulji expresses deep concern over the team’s underperformance despite ample BCCI support and highlighted a problem that “these players are playing like stars and not concentrating on their cricket.” She emphasized the urgency of appointing a permanent coaching staff instead of relying on ad-hoc appointments, given the team’s lack of a permanent head coach since December 2022, leave alone a complete coaching staff. She insists on resolving this before the Asian Games in September, as full-time support staff can get these girls serious.
The Indian team has been haunted by a lack of accountability and plagued by inconsistent selection, which is now robbing them of potential victories in major ICC events. Shafali during T20Is and Jemimah during an ODI single-handedly helped India get the win, and Edulji rightly called it out, “Luckily they got wickets but they have not been picked because of their bowling.”
Edulji shared a few more suggestions to have a psychologist and fitness roadmap. She concluded, questioning the absence of pacers, with Shikha Pandey dropped and Pooja Vastrakar reserved for the Asian Games. She raised concerns about possible issues within the team and urges the BCCI to hold a meeting, seeking answers to tough questions and accountability from players, selectors, and coaches alike.
(Quotes sourced from Diana Edulji’s column for The Indian Express)
