Siraj is getting stick from "saints" of Australian cricket, writes sarcastic Gavaskar
Brisbane (PTI): Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar has called out the double standards of the Australian cricket pundits for their criticism of Mohammed Siraj's aggressive send-off to Travis Head in the Day/Night Test in Adelaide.
Siraj and Head were at loggerheads after the Indian pacer got the Australian centurion bowled and gave him a send-off. While Head said that Siraj's reaction was uncalled for, the Indian pacer on his part countered that the southpaw never said "well bowled" which he claimed to have told the media.
ICC warned Head and Siraj was fined 20 percent of his match fee but what has irked Gavaskar is the holier than thou attitude of some former Australian players.
"Siraj is getting the stick from all the “saints” in Australian cricket who, of course, were known for their impeccable behaviour on the field. It may have incensed Australian fans that Siraj’s fiery send-off was directed at Head, who scored a magnificent century and was also the local boy," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sydney Morning Herald.
Gavaskar took a dig at the double standards about how the same people support boorish behaviour from their own.
"But the same people will cheer if an Aussie quick gives a similar send-off to an English batter during next summer’s Ashes."
"There were some suggestions in the media that the Australians should get back to being the mongrels they once were. So, do mongrels simply purr, or do they bark, too?"
He was however surprised at Siraj's outburst considering that IPL had lessened the animosity among players.
"Siraj’s outburst was surprising because if the Indian Premier League has done one thing, apart from making Aussie cricketers and coaches millionaires, it has also taken away to a huge extent the animosity that previously existed in the game."
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After Gambhir's one-on-one chat session, Morkel says Abhishek "one good hit away" from finding form
Ahmedabad (PTI): All that Abhishek Sharma needs is a start, but there hasn't been any discussion about the talented opener's wretched run in the T20 World Cup so far, bowling coach Morne Morkel said ahead of India's first Super Eights game against South Africa here on Sunday.
Abhishek is yet to open his account in the current edition of the tournament and during Friday's training, he was seen spending considerable time with head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Gambhir was seen trying to explain to him certain finer points and like a diligent student, the flamboyant southpaw nodded in agreement.
After that he went for a high catch session.
At times, excess training can prove to be counter productive and Abhishek was seen bowling to the other batters for better part of the game.
When asked if there's discussion in general within the team on Abhishek, Morkel denied emphatically.
"Absolutely no discussion. He's a world class player. So far in the tournament, luckily, there's been some guys standing up for Abhishek (others scoring runs)," Morkel told the media.
However, he agreed that Abhishek needs to score runs as they enter the business end of the tourney.
"But we're going through a very important phase of the World Cup now and we expect him to do well.
"And I'm pretty sure, not just for the team, but also for all the viewers watching the game. Because he's (Abhishek) entertaining, and we love to see that.
"So yeah, I'm pretty sure he's hitting the ball well. It's just a matter of getting that start and Abhishek will get going," Morkel said.
