Lucknow Super Giants captain K.L. Rahul
| Photo Credit: AP
Star pacer Mohammed Shami has termed Sanjiv Goenka’s “public reprimand” of his India teammate KL Rahul as “shameful” and said the Lucknow Super Giants team owner’s reaction to a loss in front of TV cameras “does not have any place in sports”.
Goenka’s animated chat purportedly reprimanding Rahul after Lucknow Super Giants’ record demolition at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad has gone viral on social media and Shami was the first Indian cricketer to criticise the act.
“Crores of people are watching you and learning from you. If these things happen in front of cameras, and you see such reactions on screen, it’s shameful,” a blunt Shami said on ‘Cricbuzz Live’.
“Aapka ek dayra hona chahiye baat karne ka, yeh message bahut galat jaata hai. (You should have boundaries, there’s a way to talk. This sends a very wrong message).” SRH openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma smashed fiery fifties as the home side chased down the target of 166 in just 9.4 overs, which also became the record 10-over score in any T20 match.
But what followed after the result has become a big talking point.
The video of a furious RPSG Group chairman and Kolkata-based billionaire, Goenka apparently losing his cool on Rahul, has gone viral on social media .
TV commentators Graeme Smith and Scott Styris remarked that such discussions should occur privately, not in front of cameras.
“It’s very important to note that players have respect, and you are a respectful person too, as an owner. It’s not that you’re talking suddenly,” Shami said.
“If you have to do that, there are many different ways. You could’ve done the same thing in the dressing room or the hotel. It wasn’t necessary to do it on the field. Aise reaction de ke koi lal quile pe jhanda toh gaad nahi diya aapne (you didn’t hoist a flag on Red Fort by doing what you did),” Shami said.
Shami, who is currently recovering from an injury and is not taking part in the IPL, said such actions send a wrong message to the public.
“He’s the captain, not a normal player. It’s a team game; it isn’t a big thing if the plan isn’t successful. Anything is possible in the game. I understand there can be good or bad days, but every player has respect, and there’s a way to talk,” he said.
“There are a lot of moments in the game when tempers flare up, and players quarrel with each other. It should not happen in cricket or any sport, but it does happen.
“A player talking to another player is different, but someone from the outside discussing something with the player is different. We are only speculating from what we are seeing, and only KL Rahul can tell what the conversation was about, but these kinds of reactions do not have any place in sports.”
