Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir dismissed Australian coach Andrew McDonald’s claim that Bumrah and his teammates intimidated Konstas. Gambhir stated that cricket is a sport for “tough men,” and Konstas had “no right” to interrupt Bumrah during his discussion with Usman Khawaja. During the final moments of the IND vs AUS first day’s play at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Jasprit Bumrah and young Australian batter Sam Konstas were seen engaging in a heated verbal exchange.
Gambhir’s stand on the incident
The incident took place during the first day of the last Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Bumrah expressed dissatisfaction with Khawaja’s attempts to slow the game, and Konstas intervened from the non-striker’s end. This led to an argument, which the umpires had to defuse. Gambhir commented, “Look it’s a tough sport played by tough men. You can’t be that soft, as simple as it gets. I don’t think there was anything intimidating about that. He had no right to be talking to Jasprit Bumrah when Usman Khawaja was taking time, he had no right, no business to be involved.”
McDonald’s perspective
Andrew McDonald mentioned checking on Konstas’s mental state after the incident. He implied that the ICC had set a standard by not punishing India for what he perceived as intimidation. McDonald remarked, “My conversation with him was around whether he’s okay. Clearly, the way India celebrated that was quite intimidating.” He acknowledged that there were no charges or fines, implying the behaviour was within acceptable limits according to the match referees and umpires.
Australia wins BGT
On Sunday, McDonald enjoyed the honour of being the first Australian coach in eight years to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Meanwhile, Gambhir became the first Indian coach in the same period to witness a series loss. Despite the tension, both coaches acknowledged the competitive nature of the series and respected the decisions made by the match officials.
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