Gavaskar humiliated by CA

1/29/2008 8:59:57 PM


After the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to take action against it's Cricket Committee Chairman -- Sunil Gavaskar -- for his outburst against match referee -- Mike Procter -- who had slapped a three-Test ban on Indian off-spinner -- Harbhajan Singh -- for racist abuse, Cricket Australia has snubbed Sunil Gavaskar by not inviting him in the prize distribution of the Border-Gavaskar trophy, which was handed over to Ricky Ponting.

The Australian captain Ricky Ponting recieved the Border-Gavaskar trophy from a Cricket Australia official on Tuesday (January 29), while Sunil Gavaskar looked on from a studio metres away coming to terms with the snub and the humiliation of having been ignored by the Australian Board.

This is the first time that such an incident has hapenned. In the year 1996 and 2003, Gavaskar was physically present to give away the trophy.

The insult to the legendary Gavaskar was so obvious that his fellow commentators viz. Ravi Shastri and Harsha Bhogle -- couldn't help but bring it up.

Ravi Shastri began it by asking Sunny as to what he was doing in the studio, when he should have had been there with Alan Border. However, before Gavaskar could reply, Harsha Bhogle said with an hint of irony that though the Aussies spend a lot of time trying to get their things right, they lost a bit of grace during the entire episode.

Reacting to Bhogle's comment, Sunil Gavaskar then opened up by saying that in the year 2003 and 2004, he was present along with Alan Border to present the trophy.

The moot question is so what has actually changed. Many feel that the insult by cricket Australia must be read with the moves being made by the ICC to reign in Sunil Gavaskar for having the temerity to call a spade a spade and for displaying character and speaking out against injustice meted out to the Indian team.

In the past, Gavaskar has stood up for his country and fought for its honour. He had done it in the studio, he had done it on the field in 1981. Some one needs to explain as to why this legend's nose is being rubbed into the dirt?

TIMES NOW asks whether Gavaskar is being humiliated just because he's spoken up for team India

doremi wrote:Will do? No one seems to use it much.

lardbucket wrote:

doremi wrote:Will do? No one seems to use it much.

'Rabbit' might remind some of Hair, though.

Mick Sawyer wrote:Gavaskar doesn't need the help of CA.

furriner wrote:I need a 'shoot me now' emoticon.

lardbucket wrote:Border was not present, either. CA must have humiliated him as well.

leg glancer wrote:Déjavu? Hadlee and the Chappel-Hadlee trophy? The Aussies showing such blatent disrespect, to people who are most worthy of respect is nothing new.

Dello wrote:I'm too kind to you people.

Fred Nerk wrote:A 'Shoot me now' icon is fine but 'shoot Buckeroo now' would be even more useful....