David Warner’s wife Candice Warner feels that Indian players not applauding Australian captain Steve Smith’s century was unsporting.
The ongoing Border-Gavaskar trophy between India and Australia has seen some fierce comments from both sides both on and off the field. The DRS Saga after the Bangalore test and Virat Kohli’s bold statements in the press conference set the tone for a fiercely fought third test at Ranchi.
Steve Smith scored a brilliant hundred on the first day, but someone out there wasn’t too happy with the Indian player’s reaction to his fine knock. David Warner’s wife Candice Warner stated that the Indian players did not applaud Smith’s century, further claiming that they do not rate sportsmanship too highly. She tweeted this in reply to a tweet asking whether the Indians were wrong to not applaud Smith’s century.
But Indian fans are Indian fans, and they don’t let go off such statements easily. She faced a barrage of tweets on Twitter, most of them ridiculing a fact that an Aussie was actually talking about sportsmanship.
A user alexander alwis tweeted, “@CandyFalzon Aussie talking about sportsmanship, bloody hilarious ????????????????”.
Other users tweeted several examples of Australian players disrespecting opponents and sports administrators and also pointing out their questionable antics in celebrations. The issue was fortunately nipped in the bud quite soon.
Aussies are especially known for their high level of enthusiasm on the field. They are masters at the art of sledging and unsettling their opponents. A lot of it has already been seen in this series, especially in the Bangalore test. But the Indian team under Kohli knows how to react to competitive jibes and on-field banter, by indulging in some themselves. India and Australia have a rivalry dating back ages and any match is bound to be fiercely contested. They’ve had their fair share of moments worthy of being on “Cricket’s Wall of Fame” and a few which might rather list on “Cricket’s Wall of Shame”, Monkeygate for example. India, on the other hand, are known to play fair and square, banking on send-offs or jibes only after being incited by their opponents.
Cricket is a gentleman’s game, and skilful play should always be appreciated. Thus, Smith’s century should have at least drawn some appreciation from the Indian players. But open criticism from none other than the wife of an Australian player is unwarranted for. In a high-voltage series like this, the stakes are high for both teams. Mistakes do happen, read Smith’s “Brain Fade DRS Moment”. Glen Maxwell’s ‘hand on the shoulder’ mocking Virat Kohli’s injury was far more unsportsmanlike than Indian’s not applauding Smith’s century.
The focus should be on the game, on skill and petty incidents like these shouldn’t be blown out of proportion because a battle fought off-field is most likely to be ugly but one fought with the bat and the ball is a joy to watch!
