5 Most Controversial Moments In Cricket In 2019

5 Most Controversial Moments In Cricket In 2019: Though the game of cricket has always been one of the most-followed sports in the world, it has got an uglier side as well, something which no one wants to see. Despite being known as the ‘gentlemen’s game’, cricket is not complete without its fair share of controversies. They go hand in hand with the game as there have been innumerable instances which have left the cricket fans and experts in shock and surprise.

A few controversies are created because of the rumours spread by a few unknown sources, while a few people made controversies without proper proof or a piece of evidence. But some of them marred the beauty of the subtle game of cricket. Much like every year, the 2019 season of cricket also witnessed quite a few controversies on-and-off the field for the cricketing individuals. Meanwhile, we have figured out five controversies, which took place in 2019.

5 Most Controversial Moments In Cricket In 2019:

Read More: Best T20I XI Of The Year 2019

5. ”3D Tweet” By Ambati Rayudu After World Cup Snub:

“Just Ordered a new set of 3d glasses to watch the world cup,” the right-handed batsman Ambati Rayudu had quipped on his Twitter account on April 16. This was directed at chairman of selectors MSK Prasad for not selecting him in the 15-man squad for the 2019 World Cup in England.

Not a frequent user of social media, Rayudu had taken to Twitter to vent out his frustration after being ignored from India’s World Cup squad. Ambati Rayudu and Rishabh Pant were named as the two official standbys for India’s World Cup squad.

Later, when the replacement was required for the team, Pant was drafted into the team when Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out with a fractured thumb, but when Vijay Shankar was sidelined, Mayank Agarwal flew to England instead of Rayudu.

A few of the fans felt that the selectors had ignored him as a replacement just because of that 3D tweet. Though MSK Prasad clarified the world cup, a section of fans never believed him.

Just Ordered a new set of 3d glasses to watch the world cup ??..

— Ambati Rayudu (@RayuduAmbati) April 16, 2019

4. ICC World Cup 2019 – Final Showdown

No one would have expected the ICC World Cup 2019 final to end in such a manner. It was a day when nothing could separate the Kane Williamson-led side and the Eoin Morgan-led side at the iconic Lords. In the end, the Super Over boundary count rule, which received criticism from fans, declared England as winners.

During the match, another incident, which shook the cricket fanatics in the world was the overthrow runs awarded by the umpire Kumar Dharmasena. Later, the umpire who awarded England six runs from a freak overthrow in the last over of the World Cup final has admitted he made an “error” and should have given one run fewer.

It took the nail-biting finale to a Super Over which again was tied, but England lifted the trophy by virtue of having scored more boundaries. The whole world felt sad for the Kane Williamon-led side, who deserved to lift the cup.

3. MS Dhoni’s Balidan Batch On His Gloves:

Anything related to MS Dhoni is more or less a piece of breaking news for the media and the fans. However, in this year, MS Dhoni was in the middle of controversy when he played with the gloves that got Balidan batch on it. Instantly, it caught the attention of the fans, who showered words of praise on the Indian skipper, but the International Cricket Council asked Dhoni to remove the batch on his gloves.

Dhoni, who is an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Parachute Regiment of the Territorial Army, had the insignia printed on his green wicket-keeping gloves during the India-South Africa World Cup group stage match.

BCCI’s Committee of Administrators chief denied the claim of the ICC on this ground saying that Dhoni “did not breach any ICC regulations” as the logo on his gloves “is not the paramilitary regimental dagger.”  However, later, ICC formally requested the player to remove the batch, which MS Dhoni accepted and played without Army Insignia on his gloves in the next game.

Read More: Sourav Ganguly Won My Heart In Just 40 Minutes – Saqlain Mushtaq

2. Ravichandra Ashwin ”Mankading” Jos Buttler:

Yet another incident that caught the attention of the cricket fans across the world was the mankading episode during the match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2019. The skipper of the Kings XI Punjab franchise Ravichandran Ashwin initiated the run out during a crucial moment of the match, which changed the complexion of the game completely.

Buttler was Mankaded by Ashwin when the Royals opener was batting on 69 with his team cruising in the 185-run chase against Kings XI Punjab at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

The Royals were 108 for 2 when Buttler got out in the 13th over. The run chase completely collapsed after the controversial dismissal as they ended up with 164 for 9, losing the match by 14 runs. The incident, however, left a bad taste in the mouth of everyone who played and watched the game on March 25.

Opinions were divided immediately after Ashwin’s Mankading act. Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy, Kevin Pietersen and Dale Steyn slammed Ashwin while Shane Warne said it was embarrassing and disgusting. However, the likes of Sanjay Manjrekar, Harsha Bhogle and Murali Karthik felt there was nothing wrong with what Ashwin did.

1. KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya’s Koffee With Karan Episode:

The two swashbuckling players of India, who are expected to be the major part of the Indian team ahead of ICC World Cup 2019 stunned the entire country with their comments on a popular talk show ”Koffee With Karan”. After the show was aired on Television, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul were in the eye of a massive storm following their sexist and racist comments.

The TV show was aired on January 6. In the show, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul talked about their relationships, crushes, favourite movies, actors and actresses. Though KL Rahul chose his words very carefully while replying to Karan Johar’s questions throughout the show, it was Hardik Pandya, who boasted about hooking up with multiple women and even spoke about how open he is with his parents.

Few of Hardik Pandya’s answers, which sparked the outrage are:

“Why don’t you ask women’s names at nightclubs?” asked Johar when Hardik replied saying he struggles in remembering names of the women he interacts with during such parties. “I like to watch and observe how they move. I’m little from the Black side, so I need to see how they move,” Pandya responded.

He dwelled onto his sex life, suggesting, “When I lost my virginity, I came home and said, Main karke aaya hai aaj (I did it today)”. Further highlighting the casual take on the subject from his parents, the 25-year-old revealed how “cool” he is with his family members.

“At a party, my parents asked me acha tera wala (women) kaun sa hai (Which are your women)? I said yeh, yeh, yeh (pointing out women) and they were like waah proud of you beta,” Pandya asserted.