Top Controversies in BGT: If we look at the history of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, there is no dearth of controversies here. Many such incidents have happened in the prestigious tournament which shames this series.
Be it the Monkeygate scandal or the case of continuous sledging of Indian players by Michael Clarke in 2008. Such incidents have been seen many times during the series.
Which has damaged the reputation of cricket. Before the upcoming season of Border Gavaskar Trophy, if we talk about five such big incidents that have damaged the image of Border Gavaskar Trophy, then they are as follows-
1. Symonds and Harbhajan’s Spat – ‘Monkeygate’ (2007-08)
In the year 2007-08, the Indian team was on a tour of Australia. One match of the series was played in Sydney. Where a sharp spat was seen between Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh during batting.
Later, the Kangaroo player accused Harbhajan Singh of calling him ‘monkey’ during the match. After which Harbhajan was also banned for three matches. But later the ban was lifted due to lack of evidence.
2. Steve Smith broke the Spirit of Sportsmanship (2017)
In 2017, a match in the series was held in Bengaluru. During the game, after the Indian players appealed for a wicket, Steve Smith was seen heading towards the dressing room using the Decision Review System (DRS).
This move upset the Indian players and captain Virat Kohli, who immediately questioned the umpires. As a result, Smith faced significant criticism, with many arguing that his actions went against the spirit of sportsmanship.
3. Rishabh Pant and Tim Paine’s Heated Exchange (2018-19)
In 2018-19, there was a lot of altercation between Rishabh Pant and Tim Paine on the field. Initially, there was a light altercation between the two players. But as the tournament progressed, their war of words also increased. Australian captain Tim Paine provoked Pant and asked him to become his babysitter because Dhoni has returned to the ODI team and now he will hardly get a chance.
After which Pant replied that the temporary captain of Australia had come to the crease. This meant that after a poor performance, he would soon be dropped from the team.
4. Michael Clarke’s Sledging (2007-08)
In 2007-08, the Australian team used to be very strong. It used to attack the opposition team in every way. Which also included sledging. During the Sydney Test, former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke had sledged the Indian players a lot. Not only this, the decision of the umpires in this match was also very disappointing. Due to this, this match is always remembered.
5. Pune Pitch Controversy (2017)
In 2017, when the Indian and Australian cricket teams faced each other in Pune, the skill of the spinners was prominently displayed. As a result, the match concluded in just three days, leading to significant criticism of the pitch. Despite the controversy, the Australian team emerged victorious, winning by a substantial margin of 333 runs.
Also, read about OMN vs NED T20 Live Update here.
