India women’s cricket captain slammed for ‘deplorable’ behaviour

Harmanpreet Kaur is being criticised after she smashed the stumps and took a verbal swipe at umpires in Bangladesh.

India women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur is being criticised for being a bad example after she smashed the stumps and took a verbal swipe at umpires in a match against Bangladesh.

Media reports said Kaur could be fined 75 percent of her match fee and is also in danger of a two-game ban for her behaviour in the One-Day International (ODI), which ended in a rare tie on Saturday.

After umpire Tanvir Ahmed declared her caught at slip during the match, Kaur smashed the stumps with her bat and appeared to remonstrate with him before making a gesture towards the crowd, ESPNcricinfo reported.

Kaur hit the stumps after being given out on 14 and later said the umpiring was “pathetic”.

She was then heard telling her opposite number Nigar Sultana to invite the umpires on stage after the post-match presentation, forcing the Bangladesh players to opt out of a joint photo session.

“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,” former women’s captain Diana Edulji wrote in her column in the Indian Express on Tuesday.

“She has set a bad example for her teammates. I say that because juniors look up to seniors, and this, over a period of time, can impact the team culture,” Edulji said.

“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.”

If there was bat involved as suggested by Harmanpreet Kaur's gesture then it was caught at slip. Needless smashing of stumps.pic.twitter.com/V4aJKpu8or
— Subhayan Chakraborty () July 22, 2023

Indian men’s World Cup winner Madan Lal also blasted Kaur.

“Harmanpreet’s behaviour against the Bangladesh women’s team was pathetic,” Lal tweeted.

“She is not bigger than the game. She got a very bad name for Indian cricket. BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India] should take very strict disciplinary action.”

Kaur is in danger of becoming the first woman cricketer to be found guilty of a Level 2 breach of the International Cricket Council (ICC) code of conduct, which deals with player behaviour, ESPNcricinfo said.

Cricket analyst Anis Sajan told Indian broadcaster NDTV that Kaur’s behaviour was “disgraceful”.

“The BCCI and also the ICC should act against her,” he said. “I think she should be banned for a couple of matches.”