Former Indian captain Mithali Raj has scrutinized the current Indian Women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur for actions against Bangladesh. Batting in the third ODI in Dhaka, Kaur wasn’t happy with being given caught at slip against spinner Nahida Akter in the 34th over. Reacting to the decision, the Indian captain angrily hit stumps as she walked off the pitch.
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Then in the post-match press conference, Kaur called the umpires for their poor on-field decision and also sarcastically invited the officials during the trophy presentation. Hence, Harmanpreet Kaur received a two-game ban and was fined 75 per cent of her match fee from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Addressing this incident, Mithali Raj called out her former teammate and described her actions as ‘disgraceful and atrocious’. Raj also demanded Kaur and her teammates respect the opposition, especially after putting forth a strong performance. Writing her column for Hindustan Times, Raj expressed, "A team is expected to show respect to 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. If it is true what is being reported in the media in respect to Harman's behaviour towards the opposition captain during the photo session with the trophy, it is simply disgraceful and atrocious."
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Mithali Raj also raised concerns about the impact of Harmanpreet’s actions on young kids, who look up to Mumbai Indians player as an idol. She further asked cricketers to conduct themselves on and off the field. Raj wrote, “Harmanpreet is a good player and is a role model for a lot of kids.”
“One has to conduct themselves in a dignified manner on and off the field as responsible cricketers. Earlier, women's cricket did not have much coverage or presence on the social media; now everything is in the public domain and all actions are emulated by aspiring kids who want to take up the sport.”