Gautam Gambhir opens up about sledging after the on-field controversies between India and Australia

What’s the story?

Amidst all the controversies that are causing a stir in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia, Indian batsman and Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gatuam Gambhir, in an interview with The Hindustan Times opened up about sledging in the modern game.

“It is fine to play hard and do whatever you can to upset the opposition till the time you don’t get personal. Whatever you do on the pitch, it should stay there and if that is the case, I don’t see any harm in sledging,” Gambhir said.

“Sledging is something that makes things interesting. Obviously, these are not robots playing the game, and when you are playing for your country and there are so many expectations on your shoulder, emotions can take over sometimes,” he continued.

In case you didn’t know...

Since the beginning of the Test series, the two sides have been at each other’s throats and the cricketers from both the sides have constantly sledged each other whenever the opportunity arose.

Details:

In the 2nd Test, it was the dressing room controversy which was the talk of the town. Virat Kohli’s post-match press conference quotes added fuel to the fire and the BCCI had even filed an official complaint against Smith before withdrawing it.

The third Test in Ranchi was filled with controversy as well regarding Kohli’s shoulder injury incident which took place on the first day of the match. Glenn Maxwell and Smith mocked Kohli after he was dismissed in the first innings and Kohli hit back by doing the same after dismissing Warner in the 2nd innings of the game.

Extra Cover: India vs Australia 2017: Virat Kohli clutches his shoulder while giving Warner a send-off

One of the most heated players in the Indian side, Gambhir himself has been involved in a lot of on-field banter and controversy over the years. One of his biggest on-field fights was along with Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi in the 3^rd ODI in Kanpur in 2007.

He has also been involved in a heated exchange with fellow Indian teammate Virat Kohli during the IPL.

Author’s Take

With Gambhir himself being involved in a lot of controversies throughout his playing career and having sledged the opponents a lot of times, it does not come as a surprise when he says that sledging is acceptable in today’s game. However, he is completely right when he says that sledging should not become personal.

With the fourth and final Test between India and Australia coming up in Dharamsala, it will be extremely interesting to see how things pan out between the two sides with them having everything to play for.