India pacer Mohammad Shami has come in support of his teammate KL Rahul and called out the owner of his IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Sanjiv Goenka for his public outburst at the skipper recently.
Sanjiv Goenka's heated talk with KL Rahul following Lucknow Super Giants' painful defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday has become a hot subject, with supporters slamming the LSG owner for his public outburst, which was captured on camera. At the same time, past cricketers have denounced the team owner's hasty response to LSG's loss.
Now Mohammad Shami shared his thoughts on the same and said it was a matter of shame to see Goenka scolding KL Rahul in full view of the cameras and the public.
“Players have respect, and you are a respectful person, too, as an owner. Many people are watching you and learning from you. If these things happen in front of cameras … ye sharam wali baat hai (it’s a matter of shame).
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,” Shami said on Cricbuzz.
The 33-year-old added that the fact that KL Rahul, the team captain, was on the receiving end of that animated talk makes the entire situation even more repugnant.
“He’s the captain, too, 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. This sends a very wrong message,” said Shami.
Speaking about flare-ups that frequently occur on the playing field between players, as well as impassioned talks among players, Shami stated that it is a different story when players are involved in such situations.
“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 could tell what the conversation was about, but these kinds of reactions do not have any place in sports,” he added.
(Cricbuzz/PTI inputs)
