Unexpected fight between Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary and his Delhi counterpart Gautam Gambhir on Saturday took an uglier turn. Tiwary was accusing Gambhir of making comments against all Bengalis and insulting former India captain Sourav Ganguly.
According to the Cricket news, the spat took place on the third day of the Ranji Trophy match between the two sides.
It was reported that “Gambhir allegedly taunted Tiwary about the 'cowardly nature' of the Bengal team. The Bengal captain, in turn, has now decided to speak on the issue.” It is said that Gambhir also mentioned Sourav Ganguly's name.
Though the match referee has refused he could not stop himself. “The fines copped by the two players may not be the end of the issue as match referee Valmick Buch has sent the video footage and his report to the Indian cricket board (BCCI) for review,” according to Tiwary. Ganguly is also the current president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).
"I had spoken to Ganguly last evening and he was upset that his name was mentioned by Gambhir. The match referee called us today as well and said the video will be sent to the board. It's up to the BCCI to judge now," Tiwary said after the match concluded on Sunday. "If he (Gambhir) was clean, then why would he be fined more than me? Sledging and pressuring is part of the game but talking about communities is not on. We represent Bengal and we take pride in it," said the captain.
"There is a part of foam padding in the helmet which wasn't fixed. I had left it like that the last night, so I wore the cap. But when I took guard I realized it was fixed so I called for the helmet. I have been around for long enough. I don't need to use such minor tactics," Tiwary said on Sunday.
BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur also said that, “The board would go by the book and will take appropriate measures. Incidents like this should not take place in any sport. Each and every player playing the game should avoid indulging in such kind of acts. I had a word with game officials and asked them to look into the details of the incident," said Thakur.
Finally Gambhir reacted to Tiwary and asked him to concentrate on Cricket rather than focusing all these rubbishes. "Sourav Ganguly, whom I fondly call Dada, is my favourite India captain. I am a proud Indian who respects all religions, communities and sexes. Ever since I have been leading Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL, I have been humbled by the love and affection showered by the Bengali community. I have said earlier that Bengal is my second home and the support of the fans is KKR's biggest X factor," Gambhir said in a statement.
"It's unfortunate that Dada's name was dragged in by Tiwary perhaps to gain cheap publicity. Being his senior I advise him to concentrate on his game rather than making sensational claims," the former India opener added.
Gambhir also clarified on the quantum of his punishment: "I was fined more because this was my second offence in consecutive games (I was fined 10 percent for showing dissent against umpire's decision in the last game against Haryana)."
