The poor behaviour of players in the Under-19 World Cup Final between India and Bangladesh did not go well with the cricket world. The experts, ex-players, and fans are equally disturbed with such an unprofessional attitude of the international players on the field. Two former Indian cricket captains shared their thoughts on the same and asked for strict actions.
What happened?
Right from the start of the finale Bangladesh players showed needless aggression on the field and tried to get under the skin of the Indian players. In the second over Tanzim Hasan Sakib threw the ball towards Indian opener Divyansh Saxena who tapped the ball back to the bowler. The incident was followed by not so friendly exchanges between the two and the umpires had to intervene.
Next, it was the dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal which again gave birth to the problematic incident. The bowler Shoriful Islam gave Jaiswal an animated send-off. As soon as the match got over the players from both teams got involved in a physical altercation which forced ICC to sanction three Bangladesh players and two Indian players for their roles.
Azharuddin and Kapil raise questions
The entire incident attracted opinions from various former players and a lot of them asked for strict actions. Mohammad Azharuddin simultaneously raised a question to the role of the support staff of Team India. He said to the Hindu, “I would take action against the errant Under 19 players but I also want to know what role has the support staff played in educating these youngsters. Act now before it is too late. The players have to be disciplined.”
Kapil Dev said, “I would like to see the Board take some strict action against the players to set an example. Cricket is not about abusing the opponent. I am sure there is enough reason for these youngsters to be dealt with firmly by BCCI.”
Kapil Dev further opined that aggression of the field is not wrong but has to maintain a line of decency. “I welcome aggression. Nothing wrong in it. But it has to be controlled aggression. You can’t cross the line of decency in the name of being competitive. I would say it was unacceptable that youngsters put up such an obnoxious display on the cricket field.”
