5 Australian cricketers Indians love to hate

It’s a well-known fact that the Australian team takes pride in its aggressive style of play, intimidating the opposition by their game, and sometimes, their words. There have been innumerable instances when the Aussies have crossed the lines of gamesmanship, earning the wrath of critics and fans alike.

India-Australia face-offs have seen one of the best matches in the game, and the two cricketing bigwigs giving their all. With the introduction of the Indian Premier League, the Indian fans have gotten to know the Australian players better, and the Indian players have established an excellent rapport with their Aussie counterparts.

Yet, there are certain cricketers from Down Under that Indian fans love to hate, despite their unmatched excellence on the cricket field.

#5 Michael Clarke

When Clarke first came into the international scene, he seemed a far cry from the stereotypical tough Australian cricketer. Baby-faced Clarke was nicknamed Pup, and looked like a kid in a league of Australian giants. Over the next decade, he slowly rose up the ranks, ending his career as a World Cup winning captain, and the most experienced player of the lot.

Indian cricket fans didn’t have very fond memories of the 35-year old, who made his debut against the same opposition in 2004. Although part of it might be due to the fact that he used to reserve his best against the Indian team, including an unbeaten 329 against and a surprising spell of 6-9 in his debut Test series, his unpleasant behaviour used to leave a bad taste in the Indian fans’ mouths.

He had numerous run-ins with the opposition, including an incident with Sachin Tendulkar, when he told the latter that he was old and “(you) need to go away”. The Sydney Test in 2008 was another incident when his integrity was questioned. He refused to walk even after getting a clear edge, and grassed a catch but claimed it aggressively.

#4 Ricky Ponting

For some reason, Ponting chose to be an umpire after a dubious catch in the Sydney Test

He might be the second best Australian batsman ever, but Ponting was known for his unpleasant behaviour on the field, as much as he was for his exceptional batting. The Sydney Test brought to fore a number of instances when Ponting’s poor gamesmanship bordered on cheating.

Among other things, he appealed for a clearly grounded catch, became an umpire himself and claimed a clean catch on behalf of Michael Clarke, and stood his ground even after clearly nicking a delivery. Club this with the callous umpiring that was on offer during that tour, and it was surprising that the Indian didn’t just pack their bags and leave for home.

During India’s tour Down Under in 1999-00, Srinath hurled a bouncer at Ponting, who edged a pull on his helmet. As Srinath approached Ponting to check on him, the batsman unfurled a volley of words at Srinath, gesturing the bowler to go back to his run-up in an ugly manner.

#3 Michael Slater

Michael Slater aggressively defended a non-existent catch in 2001.

You just don’t sledge Rahul Dravid. The New South Wales born Michael Slater, however, thought otherwise. In what was described by Peter Roebuck as “Slater’s moment of madness”, the former Australian opener foul-mouthed Dravid after a dubious catch in a Test at Mumbai in 2001.

The incident occurred when Dravid pulled a short ball towards Slater, positioned at square leg, who caught the ball after it bounced just short of him. While Slater vehemently claimed the catch, Dravid stayed put at the crease, waiting for the decision from the third umpire.

Even after the decision was turned in India’s favour, Slater continued his banter, closing in on Dravid and pouring his anguish out. Dravid remained calm, hardly flinching from Slater’s unnecessary onslaught.

Slater later apologised, but his crude act will forever make the Indian fans remember him as the guy who tried to sledge one of the nicest men in the game.

#2 Andrew Symonds

The Monkeygate incident threatened to strain India-Aus ties like never before

Always associated with controversies on the cricket field, Andrew Symonds sometimes projected himself to be a compulsive sledger, going a tad bit too far with his verbal duels.

The infamous Monkeygate incident saw Symonds being the centre of a controversy that threatened to strain India-Australia ties like never before.

During the Sydney Test in the 2007-08 series, Harbhajan Singh got a thick edge off a Brett Lee delivery that flew over the slips for a boundary. While Bhajji patted Lee on the back saying hard luck to him, Symonds decided to interfere, and the stump mic recorded him saying “We don’t need it, do it to your own teammates”.

Harbhajan said something that sounded to the Australians like a racial slur. Although Tendulkar, the non-striker, assured the Aussies that it was just a slang, a complaint was filed, and the match referee held the decision in favour of Australia, in a way deeming Tendulkar to be a liar.

The mention of the acrimonious Australian tour in 07-08 brings back memories of that unpleasant incident for the Indian fans.

#1 Greg Chappell

Chappell had a well-publicised spat with Sourav Ganguly in 2005

Chappell will forever be remembered as the guy who sacked Sourav Ganguly, and willed the Calcuttan to go back to domestic cricket and make his famed comeback the very next year. Interestingly, it was Ganguly, the captain at that time, who suggested Chappell’s name to the selection panel for the coaching position.

Ganguly was mysteriously dropped from the team, irking fans who questioned Chappell’s unconventional methods of coaching. During an India-South Africa match at Kolkata in 2006, the crowd was filled with Ganguly supporters who booed the coach. Chappell was caught showing the middle-finger to protesters.

Chappell had said that Ganguly was “mentally and physically unfit” to lead the Indian team, and continued his tirade, even after losing ties with Indian cricket.