Personality, ego, stardom sometimes make people to be in awe of themselves, more so when two individuals of equal calibre compete with each other dwelling under the same roof. It happens at home and at workplace too.
As far as sportsmen are concerned, rift between stars isn’t a rarity at all. When it came to Indian cricket, it has been quite a common phenomenon since ages. Most of those avoided ugly fights in public, but the verbal duels have been filling up the media space, though not all were media’s perception.
The recent clash between India captain Virat Kohli and vice captain Rohit Sharma following their World Cup semifinal exit at the hands of New Zealand, is not the first and certainly not the last instance of two Indian teammates having a go at each other. If history is anything to mull on, one can find numerous cases where two players fought against each other, not on-field but off-field. Orissa POST takes a look at some of the major instances…
Lala Amarnath vs Vijay Anand Gajapati Raju (Vizzy), 1936
Other than India losing the three-match Test series 0-2, the India’s tour to England would be best remembered for Lala Amarnath’s axing by new captain Vizzy even before the start of the series. Having already amassed 600 runs besides taking 32 wickets in the practice games, Amarnath was undoubtedly an integral part of the touring side and his presence would certainly have made the difference in the Test matches. The rift reportedly started during one of the practice matches against Leicester where a slight confrontation over field placement triggered a big controversy. Things got worse in the next match when Amarnath was told to bat at No.4. However, to his amazement, Amarnath saw Amar Singh, CK Nayudu and even bowler Wazir Ali bat, before he was finally sent in at No.7, just ten minutes before the end of the day’s play. Upset by the incident, the right-handed batsman unleashed his anger in the dressing room. Taking advantage of the situation and keeping manager Britton Jones in the loop, Vizzy sent Amarnath back to India on account of ‘indiscipline’.
Sunil Gavaskar vs Bishan Singh Bedi; 1970s
Considered one of the finest openers ever produced in India, former captain Sunil Gavaskar has never got along with legendary left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi, another former skipper. Both had their own share of controversies in their playing careers which also reflected in the ‘Mumbai versus Rest of India’ or ‘Mumbai versus Delhi’ divide in Indian cricket. Bedi who retired in 1979, even slammed the then-captain Gavaskar, saying the little master had forced him out of the side towards the end of his career. Bedi claimed that Gavaskar would give him small spells from unfavourable ends so as to not let him take wickets. He also accused Gavaskar of wanting to include his ‘yes-man’ Ravi Shastri in the side at Bedi’s expense.
Sunil Gavaskar vs Kapil Dev; 1984-85
The incident happened during India’s second innings in the third Test match against visiting England team at Kotla in New Delhi. Sunil Gavaskar, who was then skipper of the side, lashed out at Kapil Dev after he got out playing a ‘reckless’ shot. India lost the match by eight wickets. Gavaskar had said that the ‘Haryana Hurricane’ would never be able to make even a half-century if he continued in this manner. Meanwhile, Kapil was dropped from the next Test at Eden Gardens as a disciplinary action, and though Gavaskar claimed that the remark and the action were meant to bring out the best in Kapil, the stalwarts were never on the same page again. Kapil reportedly accused Gavaskar of playing a role in his axing. Gavaskar however denied all accusations stating he reached late for the selection meeting and had no role to play in the axing of the legendary all-rounder. For the record, this was the only Test Kapil missed in his 131-match illustrious career.
Dilip Vengsarkar vs Mohammed Azharuddin; 1989
If one away series that India would love to forget in their lifetime, it would have to be their nightmarish West Indies tour in 1989. The Indians — led by Dilip Vengsarkar — were whitewashed in the Test series 0-4, before meeting the similar fate in the ODIs too, getting drubbed 0-5. It was reported that Vengsarkar made his displeasure with then young, failing Mohammad Azharuddin in particular, besides the whole team. However, the incident came out clear when Kapil Dev later wrote in his book ‘Straight from the Heart’ about how Vengsarkar shouted at Azhar in front of everyone in the dressing room following a cheap dismissal. A disgusted Vengsarkar later took potshots at Azhar, saying, ‘If people are frightened of fast bowling, they should not play Test cricket’.
Mohammed Azharuddin vs Navjot Singh Sidhu; 1996
It was during India’s tour of England when Navjot Singh Sidhu created a stir by abandoning the tour midway. Though everyone thought it was because of his suspected spat with skipper Mohammed Azharuddin, the truth came out later in a an autobiography ‘I was There — Memoirs of a Cricket Administrator’, written by ex-BCCI official Jayawant Lele. Referring to the book, things were fine at the start of the tour but took a different turn when Azhar started abusing the opener repeatedly as the tour went on. “Every day, when they met, he (Sidhu) used to say ‘Good morning’, okay, but this was invariably followed by filthy words. At the hotel, at the nets, while passing on instructions, even while chatting, Azhar would address him with a prefix. Sidhu said he was terribly upset and decided it was not tolerable. He had not come on the tour to listen to abuses from the skipper. He was upset. So he decided to leave the team quietly,” Lele had written.
Sachin Tendulkar vs Rahul Dravid; 2004
Throughout his 25-year-old career, maestro Sachin Tendulkar has been known as a team man and has never really expressed disappointments out in open. But things were different in the first Test match against Pakistan in Multan in 2004. It was during India’s first innings, the Rahul Dravid-led side was well placed at 675/5 with Tendulkar unbeaten on 194, just six runs short of fourth Test double hundred. But to everyone’s surprise, Dravid chose to declare the innings. “I’m a little disappointed, having got so close. I was aware that the declaration was just around the corner, but when it came, I was taken by surprise,” Tendulkar had then said. Tendulkar even mentioned in his autobiography ‘Playing It My Way’, revealing how hurt he was at the declaration and told Dravid to ‘leave him alone’. “I assured Rahul that the incident would have no bearing on my involvement on the field, but off the field, I would prefer to be left alone for a while to come to terms with what had happened,” Tendulkar wrote.
Rahul Dravid vs Sourav Ganguly; 2005
The appointment Greg Chappell as the India coach in 2005 will go down as one of the most terrible decisions in the history of Indian cricket. The Australian was reportedly the man behind then captain Sourav Ganguly’s dismissal from captaincy and eventually from the team as well. As a result, it also created a rift between Ganguly and then vice-captain Rahul Dravid. Effigies of Dravid and Chappell were burnt across the country, making them the culprits behind Ganguly’s exclusion. However, in an interview last year, Ganguly believed the Karnataka batsman had no role in Chappell’s unilateral decision. “I don’t think Rahul Dravid had any role (in Chappell’s decisions). It happens that when a coach is really after something. Maybe he wanted to build his own team and to do that he thought he needs to remove the captain first. I later realised that even Sachin Tendulkar faced this,” Ganguly had said.
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