India let Australia off in ‘Cheat Gate’
In what seemed to be an apparent bid to ease out the tension building up between India and Australia, the BCCI withdrew its complaint against the DRS fiasco on Thursday night. And not for the first time in the series, the visitors would be a relieved lot. After all, while captain Virat Kohli stopped short of calling Steve Smith a ‘cheat’, it was for everyone to see the manner in which the Australian skipper took a stroll down the pitch, had a chat with Peter Handscomb at the other end, and looked back at the dressing room after being trapped in front by Umesh Yadav in the second innings in Bangalore.
WHY THIS ‘BRAIN FADE’
However, ‘cheating’ is probably too harsh a word and so ‘brain fade’. Two words, that allow one to admit having done something wrong, yet shrug off the responsibility that comes along with it.
What Smith did wasn’t accidental, or so it seemed as two people can’t have their brains fading at the same time, nor did it happen in unintentionally.
India, perhaps, shouldn’t have let gone of this opportunity. While the Australian media and their former cricketers have made mountains out of mole-hills in the past, the hosts, too, should have perhaps gone ahead and given them a taste of their own medicine. From Monkey-gate to Lolly-gate to trying every possible trick in the bag to unnerve visitors back home, the Baggy Greens have hardly been at the receiving end abroad.
OUTRAGEOUS CA ACT
Cricket Australia not only backed Smith, but called Virat Kohli’s charges, who told the media that this wasn’t the first time he saw his counterpart look towards the dressing room for advice, ‘outrageous’.
It’s funny how former Australian cricketers Brett Lee and Michael Clarke, who were commentating at the time of the incident, knew the rules and captain Smith leading the world’s No 2 side simply forgot.
Clarke later told India Today: “If it is only a one-off, I don’t think that would have happened. The fact that Peter Handscomb is even thinking about telling the Australian captain to turn around and look to the support staff, I’ve got my concerns.”
BUTTER FINGERS
And yet, BCCI let the opportunity go. It might not have borne fruit at the end of the day but at least it would have been interesting to see how the Australians react on being treated in a manner in which they have often treated their visiting teams.
On the contrary, had an Indian cricketer done this, he could be assured of having nightmares from the Australian media.
But then, the BCCI of late seems in more of a resigned mode when it deals with the ICC.
Remember how quietly the officials representing the BCCI at the ICC came back from Dubai after pretty much accepting the new revenue sharing model?