Gautam Gambhir took potshots at former Australian cricketers Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting after David Warner hit a ball for six after it had slipped out of Mohammad Hafeez’s hand. Citing the ‘spirit of cricket’ argument that is often used to target Ravichandran Ashwin over the Mankad incident, Gambhir asked whether Ponting and Warned had anything to say about Warner.
Although what David Warner did is not against the laws of the game, it is generally considered against the spirit of the game to hit such a ball to the boundary. Nevertheless, Australia were in a difficult position and Warner hit the ball straight for a six.
In a post on Twitter, where he had tagged Ashwin, Gambhir condemned the “absolutely pathetic display of spirit of the game by Warner”.
During a show on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir said, “Shane Warne comments and tweets about everything. Even Ricky Ponting makes big claims about the spirit of the game. What have they got to say about this?” “When Ashwin does the Mankad, they came up with big comments. Today, what has Shane Warne got to say about David Warner? It’s easy to criticise someone but extremely difficult to criticise your own players,” the former Indian player said.
After one individual described Gambhir’s tweet as a ‘bad take’, Ashwin himself responded to it.
Earlier in the year, Shane Warne had called Ashwin’s conduct “disgraceful” after an altercation with KKR captain Eoin Morgan on the field. Morgan believed it was not in the “spirit of the game” when Ashwin attempted to score an extra run after a throw from a KKR player ricocheted off Rishabh Pant’s body.
From Gambhir’s comments, it appears clear that he does not really have a problem with David Warner hitting the ball from Hafeez for a six but believes the same standards should apply to Ravichandran Ashwin as well. What is good for the goose has to be good for the gander as well.