Graeme Smith and Mike Hesson have shown shock at the way Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sajiv Goenka behaved with captain KL Rahul in the aftermath of their loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
After setting a 166-run target, LSG faced the wrath of SRH’s opening tandem of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, who hammered the bowlers all over the park to complete the chase in just 9.4 overs.
Goenka was dissatisfied with how LSG was treated during the match and appeared to communicate his discontent with Rahul afterward. The visuals from their confrontation went viral on social media sites, with many fans criticizing the LSG owner for his very hostile public conversation.
“These conversations should be happening behind closed doors”- Graeme Smith
Fans suggested that Goenka should’ve waited for the players and KL Rahul to reach the dressing room or the hotel before having the chat.
As the event unfolded during the live broadcast, Mike Hesson and Graeme Smith, both of whom had previously worked for IPL franchises, agreed with the fans that this should’ve been done privately.
Graeme Smith believed the owner was “passionate,” but there is a time and place for such discussions. He also sympathized with Rahul, stating that it would be tough for the LSG captain to face potential queries concerning his conversation with Goenka.
“It’s the owner who is very passionate about his team. His team has taken an absolute drubbing, and the emotions have rolled over. You feel these conversations should be happening behind closed doors. There are so many cameras around; they’re not missing anything. KL Rahul would now go to press conferences and other things and potentially explain what’s been discussed,” said Smith on JioCinema.
“He’s on his head, isn’t he?”- Mike Hesson surprised with Sanjiv Goenka showing his anger to KL Rahul
On the other hand, Mike Hesson thought Goenka’s unhappiness was understandable, but he was astonished that the LSG owner chose to voice it publicly. He also remarked that there was a quality difference between the two teams and that the Super Giants were very conservative in their approach.
“He’s on his head, isn’t he? He’s voicing his concerns, and KL is going, ‘Hang on, not quite sure what are you asking us to do’. Today was pretty clear: SRH were on from ball one in the field, and LSG were a bit conservative in terms of how they operate. If you compare that with how Sunrisers play, no doubt there was a distinct gap. He’s voicing his displeasure,” Hesson told JioCinema.
