Aussie fans hurt by Ganguly's gesture
Faisal Shariff
"When [VVS] Laxman got his fifty we clapped; when he got his
hundred we clapped; when he got his two hundred we clapped; and when the
Indians won the Test and ran the victory lap we clapped. And what did we get in
return? An 'up-yours' sign from none other than the Indian captain
himself," moans an offended Australia fan Darren Moulds.
Moulds's group of Australian back-packers, who are following their team on their India tour, have lodged an official complaint with the Indian team management about rude gestures skipper Ganguly, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and medium pacer Venkatesh Prasad made at them during the victory lap in Calcutta after India won the second Test.
Recounts David, another Aussie supporter, "At first Sourav Ganguly showed us a single finger; not far behind was Harbhajan Singh who followed suit seeing his skipper show us the finger. Then Venkatesh Prasad
showed us both the fingers as he ran past our stand."
Darren interjects: "It could be dangerous, you know. Firstly, at the Eden Gardens the crowds were
very unruly. We were pelted with rocks, concrete
slabs, water pouches and even chicken bones. What Sourav did was only going to
incite the crowds. We were only 50 of us against an entire stand. Is this a
good example Sourav was setting for his team?
"We're here to watch good cricket. If Australia loses,
you bet we're disappointed, but we'll still applaud the
Indian batsmen. We have lost all respect for the Indian skipper. He has
disgraced his captaincy, and
going by the jeering that he receives by his own
countrymen speaks a lot of
how popular he is."
According to the Aussie fans, the FOX Sports camera
crew has the episode on tape though it is not clear enough to support their petition for an apology from the Indian trio.
"Had this happened in Australia and Waugh had made
those gestures at an Indian crowd, he would have been lynched and would
have probably lost his captaincy. We would have been labeled racists. It
is only a matter of principle," said group leader Luke Gillian.
However, he was quick to add that his group returned the gesture during the third Test.
"Our guys also got back in Chennai when the Indian team was stretching near
our stand. One of the guys went up to the fence, raised his middle finger and screamed, 'Do you recognise this, Sourav?' ."
Meanwhile, while the Aussies have handed over a letter to India coach John
Wright complaining about the incident, Indian team manager Chetan Chauhan says the Aussie supporters misinterpreted the 'thumbs up' sign for an 'up-yours' sign.
Mail your comments
