Mohali: Session two on day one of the first cricket Test in Mohali between India and Australia saw Zaheer Khan and Ricky Ponting take on each other. A disappointed Ponting walking back to the pavilion after his dismissal was accosted by Zaheer, who as TV replays show, launched a verbal tirade against the Oz captain. Ponting in return pointed his bat towards Zaheer, before umpire Billy Bowden intervened to diffuse the situation.
At times in sports, the real game on the field is arm twisted and superseded by more spiteful and spicy action.
A contentious decision, a petulant contestant, a verbal tirade, is all that is needed to spark a controversy. India-Australia Test rivalry has a long history of vitriolic incidents that have gone hand in hand with some fabulous quality of cricket. MSN India takes a look at some of these moments.
Sunil Gavaskar-Dennis Lillee
In 1981 in Melbourne, Kapil Dev's fiver in the second innings handed India a famous series-leveling win. But more than the victory, the Test became infamous for Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar staging a walk out. After suffering a series of low scores, Gavaskar was finally finding some form in Australia. At a score of 70 runs, a delivery from Dennis Lillee jagged back and hit Gavaskar on the pads. No sooner had the bowler appealed that Gavaskar was adjudged lbw by umpire Rex Whitehead. The decision was the tipping point as a fuming Gavaskar refused to accept the decision and made his way back to the pavilion, pulling his fellow opener Chetan Chauhan alongside. A major row was averted when the Indian team management intervened and Chauhan was asked to return to the centre and Gavaskar was escorted back to the dressing room.
Rahul Dravid-Michael Slater
The 2001 Wankhede Test saw heated exchanges between Australian opener Michael Slater and Indian number three Rahul Dravid. Dravid's mistimed pull spooned the ball in the air, which Slater then claimed to have taken a catch off. Unconvinced Dravid stuck to his crease. Umpire S Venkataraghavan referred the catch to the third umpire which convincingly revealed that Slater had not caught the ball cleanly. An incensed Slater confronted Dravid and started shouting and gesturing at Dravid. Later, Slater was fined for his unruly behaviour.
2008 Sydney Test
2007-08 India's tour of Australia was marred with skirmishes on and off the field. And none more grievous than the devious umpiring decisions in the Sydney Test. Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds were the beneficiaries, while Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, fighting his way to earn India a draw, were the ones who were rubbed on the wrong side. Umpire Steve Bucknor came under heavy fire for making some of the worst mistakes seen on a cricket field. Each and every incorrect dismissal was backed by credible amount of video footage and was a point of debate not only in the TV studios but all across the two continents.
Harbhajan Singh-Andrew Symonds
A controversy that brought disrepute to the game and threatened to end an already acrimonious series. A verbal battle between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds in the 2008 Sydney Test turned all the dirtier when the latter accused the Indian spinner of making racist remarks. Symonds alleged that Singh had called him a monkey. A disciplinary panel was set about the task of looking into the charges. Harbhajan Singh was let off after the hearing, but the seeds of a bitter cricketing relationship were sown.
Source: India Syndicate
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