Former India batsman VVS Laxman hit back at Michael Clarke for contentious comments that his countrymen became too soft against Virat Kohli's team when it visited shores down under the last time fearing for their IPL contracts.
The Aussies, still hurting from question marks over their moral conduct in the aftermath of the ball-tampering saga, did strongly uphold the values of playing hard but fair. But that isn't to say they "sucked up" to Kohli, as Clarke claimed, and hence failed to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the 2018-19 home summer.
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"Just being nice to someone doesn't get you a place in IPL," Laxman, longstanding team mentor for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), said on Star Sports' show 'Cricket Connected', taking an indirect jibe at Clarke.
"Any franchise will look at the player's caliber and value add to the team, which gives them desired results by winning matches/tournaments. These are the kind of players who get IPL contracts. So just being nice to someone will not earn you a spot in the IPL."
"If you're friendly with any Indian player it doesn't mean that you are getting IPL contract," Laxman stressed. "As a mentor, I'm on the auction table and we select players, those international players that have played exceptionally well for their country and can add value to the franchise. Friendship with any Indian player doesn't ensure entry into the IPL."
Even Tim Paine, the current Australian captain, rubbished Clarke's claims.
"Anytime our guys go out and play a Test match for Australia, they’ll be giving their absolute all and I’m pretty sure they’re not thinking about an IPL contract when they’re running in, bowling to Virat."
“What you say on the field is irrelevant 99% of the time. Sometimes you can get a little inside someone’s head or something like that, but if you’re not batting well and not bowling well, all the talk in the world doesn’t mean anything," Paine added.
“We’ve seen the last 12 or 18 months, we still do that, we still stick up for each other, we still fight as hard as any Australian team, but we’ve probably just had to move with the times and I’ve been really proud of the way we’ve played out cricket."
(Inputs from PTI)
