Behaving rashly in a 'gentleman's game'

Cricket is regarded as a gentleman's game. Not that those who take part in games other than cricket are crooks and ruffians. 

Cricket might have earned such a noble status because players in the early days of cricket that originated in England, according to cricketmastery.com, came from affluent backgrounds and were holding the virtues of 'Gentlemen'. 

However, over time, it has become a popular game worldwide and players of all hues and status have joined it. Cricket is no more a game of aristocrats. Yet the game has kept the title. It is supposed to be played in a 'gentlemanly manner', meaning no cheating, sledging, losing of tempers etc. The issue such as the 'hand of God' is not taken lightly here. 

Though called a gentleman's game, female players taking part in cricket also need to be gentlewomen. They are expected to uphold the great values that the originators of the game wanted to inculcate. Since women by nature are polite and soft compared to men, female cricketers are not expected to lose tempers or demonstrate rudeness while playing tournaments, domestic or otherwise.

But that was not the case as far as a woman cricketer, who led the Indian side during the just-concluded Indian cricket team's tour of Bangladesh, was concerned. She is Harmanpreet Kaur, a high-profile cricketer and role model for a lot of kids in India and abroad. 

During the 3rd and final ODI between India and Bangladesh, Harmanpreet appeared anguished by the on-field umpire's decision of lbw as she smashed the stumps with her bat before leaving. Later at the post-match presentation, she did not hide her deep disappointment over, what she described, the pathetic level of umpiring. Harmanpreet went too far when she sarcastically asked the umpires to be called in to join the teams for the trophy ceremony. Her gestures towards Bangladesh team captain Nigar Sultana were also rather impolite. An uncomfortable Nigar instead of responding to provocations walked away with her team and urged her Indian counterpart to learn some 'manners'. 

The scene was ugly and did not go well with the core values of the gentleman's or gentlewoman's game. The game of cricket is full of uncertainty. One catch or a particular over can change the fate of a match. So, win or defeat in cricket always hangs in the balance. 

Possibly, the Indian women's cricket team's captain could not accept the result, a tie match, and sharing the trophy.  

Rude reactions of the Indian skipper utterly dismayed people watching the proceedings of the match. Bangladesh Cricket Board officials gave a measured opinion saying that the issues concerned will be discussed with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The International Cricket Council (ICC) meanwhile has banned Harmanpreet from taking part in the next two international matches. Her suspension would surely hurt the strength of the Indian team. 

It is not that Bangladeshi cricket players and cricket lovers have only expressed their displeasure over Harmanpreet's behaviour. Some renowned former Indian men and women cricketers have expressed their strong disapproval of Harmanpreet's reactions.

"She is not bigger than the game', former Indian cricketer Madan Lal slammed Harmanpreet, urging the BCCI to take very strict disciplinary action against her.  

Even two of her predecessors -- Mithali Raj and Shantha Rangaswamy -- censured Harmanpreet for her rough behaviour. 

'While Harman's anguish is understandable, her behaviour shouldn't be condoned. Also, what happens in the match should be left there, wrote Mithali Raj in an article published in the Hindustan Times. 

'A team is expected to respect the opposition, especially in this particular series where one must give credit to Bangladesh for how they played and fought hard. This is good for the sport, for women's cricket.' Raj said. 

"Harmanpreet Kaur's boorish during and after the third ODI against Bangladesh was rash and did not befit of an Indian captain," Shantha Rangswamy told the Indian news agency PTI. 

These statements speak amply of how the cricket world has taken the rash behaviour of Harmanpreet. Not just Harmanpreet, but some other cricketers of international repute on occasion cannot keep their cool and behave rashly. Bangladesh cricket icon Shakib-al Hasan is one who harassed umpires and smashed stumps in domestic cricket tournaments at least on a couple of occasions. 

Acting belligerently some players thus not only hurt their image but also that of the gentleman's game of cricket. 

Zahidmar10@gmail.com