Tri-series: Suresh Raina-Ravindra Jadeja spat deliberately misunderstood, says Gavaskar
Players apologize for their behaviour ahead of crucial game against Sri Lanka in Port-of-Spain.
Sunil Gavaskar feels the ugly on-field spat between Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja during the ongoing tri-nation series in the West Indies is a minor issue. Gavaskar has advised the media not to blow up the issue to grab "headlines and eyeballs."
Raina and Jadeja, who spend a lot of time together off-the-field on tours, 'clashed' when Raina failed to take Sunil Narine's catch on two occasions at Port-of-Spain on Friday. Jadeja, after dismissing Narine with the penultimate delivery of the 34th over, rushed towards Raina and said a few harsh things to which the left-handed batsman reacted angrily before stand-in skipper Virat Kohli intervened.
On Tuesday, both Raina and Jadeja apologized for their behaviour. According to a BCCI official, both cricketers spoke to the team manager M V Sridhar and expressed regret for their on-field conduct. Read Here
"Raina and Jadeja have spoken to the team manager and tendered unconditional apology for their on-field behaviour. They have promised that this type of an act won't be repeated again. Both the cricketers have understood that their conduct is unbecoming of a national team cricketer," a senior BCCI official said on Tuesday.
Gavaskar said the incident should not worry Team India. "On the field, in pressure situations, sometimes the release valve is often misunderstood from the outside and deliberately so. The bantering between Jadeja and Raina is momentary too. Indian cricket needs support and understanding and trying to create rift for headlines and eyeballs is total unnecessary," Gavaskar wrote in his column for a newspaper. Watch: India take on Sri Lanka in must-win game
With a must-win game against Sri Lanka coming up on Tuesday, both Raina and Jadeja will have to be at the peak of their playing skills. Read Preview