Banned by the ICC for bringing the game of cricket to disrepute, the Indian women cricket team captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, has defended her outbursts against Bangladesh.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Women’s Hundred in England, where she is playing for Trent Rockets, Harmanpreet told The Cricket Paper that she did not regret smashing the stumps with her bat after being given out by the field umpire.
“I don’t regret anything because as a player you want to see fair things happening. You always have a right to express yourself and what you’re feeling,” Harmanpreet was quoted as saying.
She added, “I don’t think I said anything wrong to any player or any person. I just said what happened on the field. I don’t regret anything.”
The Indian team had lost to Bangladesh in the third ODI last month. This meant that both Bangladesh and India had to share the trophy.
During the match, Harmanpreet had stunned everyone by smashing the stumps with her bat after being adjudged out by the field umpire. In the post match ceremony, she had called the umpiring pathetic.
While posing for the camera with Bangladeshi team after the match, Harmanpreet had allegedly taunted the rival team players by asking them to call the umpires too, implying that they had played a key role in the victory of the hosts in Dhaka.
The ICC had slapped a two-match ban on Harmanpreet even though there were calls for her to face a more severe punishment. The two-match ban means that she wouldn’t be able to lead the Indian side in the upcoming Asian Games T20 competition, to be held in China’s Hanghzou in September-October.
Harmanpreet’s unruly behaviour had earned the Indian cricket board plenty of embarrassment internationally. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah had reportedly said that the board president Roger Binny and National Cricket Academy director of cricket VVS Laxman would speak to Harmanpreet.