After Mohammad Azharuddin rang the bell to mark the start of the first Twenty20 International (T20I) between India and the Windies at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, Gautam Gambhir lashed out at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Committee of Administrators (CoA) and the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) for giving the tainted former India captain such an honour. After expressing his displeasure, Gambhir faced backlash on Twitter.
This is what Gambhir had tweeted:
Fans didn't quite enjoy his stand against the Indian board allowing Azharuddin to ring the bell. Here are some of the reactions:
One of India's most flamboyant skippers, Azharuddin's career came to a controversial end after when he was implicated in the infamous match-fixing scandal in 2000 and subsequently banned for life by the BCCI.
Azhar had fought the decision in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which ruled in his favour in 2012. The Indian cricket board didn't challenge the court order and later made it clear that it no longer prohibited Azharuddin from holding any position in the ICC or BCCI or its affiliated associations.
Azhar, who captained India in 47 Tests, played 99 Tests for India and scored 6,215 runs at an average of 45.03. He represented the national team in 334 One-day Internationals and made 9,378 runs at an average of 36.92.