Starting from Steve O’Keefe’s masterclass in Pune to India’s remarkable comeback in Benglauru before Cheteshwar Pujara’s majestic knock in Ranchi, the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series has witnessed some world-class cricket. However, the series has grabbed headlines for all the wrong reasons.
India-Australia ties in recent years have always witnessed several moments of banter and sledging but the current series is by far one of the most intriguing and tensed series. The DRS controversy, players mocking each other, the blame game and the banters, the series has seen it all. And so, it’s not surprising that the cricketing world has criticised the players from both sides for all the incidents.
However, India opener Gautam Gambhir feels sledging is fine as far as the players do not get personal.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, the Delhi star said:
“It is fine to play hard and do whatever you can to upset the opposition till the time you don’t get personal. Whatever you do on the pitch, it should stay there and if that is the case, I don’t see any harm in sledging.”
“Sledging is something that makes things interesting. Obviously, these are not robots playing the game, and when you are playing for your country and there are so many expectations on your shoulder, emotions can take over sometimes,” added the southpaw.
The 35-year-old further said the hosts will be the favorites when the final match of the series gets underway in Dharamsala from March 25. The series is currently locked at 1-1 after the Aussies fought hard on the final day of the recently concluded Ranchi Test to salvage a draw.
“India will surely start the match as favorities. They have played very good cricket in the last two Test matches and will be extremely confident going into the final encounter,” he pointed out.
At the same time, he cautioned the world number one team against complacency. Steven Smith’s men have exceeded all the expectations and given the hosts a run for their money and Gambhir feels Virat Kohli-led India can take them lightly at their own peril.
“We should give credit to the Australian side which has played remarkably. Most players like Harbhajan (Singh) and Sourav (Ganguly) predicted a whitewash for India, but they have proved themselves brilliantly and with everything on the line, Australia will be a tricky opponent,” he concluded.