Smriti Mandhana defends Harmanpreet Kaur after criticism of Bangladeshi umpires

Aggressive opener Smriti Mandhana came out in support of her captain Harmanpreet Kaur after the Indian women’s team captain courted controversy for her on-field behaviour and sharp comments on the Bangladeshi umpires after the third ODI between India and Bangladesh in Mirpur on Saturday.

The match ended in a tie as chasing 225, India were bowled out on the same score. Eventually, the three-match ODI series finished 1-1.

Notably, Harmanpreet was given out LBW when she was batting on 14 in India’s run chase off Nahida Akter. However, the decision did not go down well with Harmanpreet as she broke the stumps with her bat. She was also seen arguing with the umpire.
Later during the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet slammed the Bangladeshi umpires for the alleged wrong decisions.

“I think there is a lot of learning for us from the game. Even apart from the cricket, the kind of umpiring that was happening, we were very surprised. The next time we come to Bangladesh we will make sure we have to deal with this type of umpiring and prepare ourselves accordingly,” said Harmanpreet.

However, Mandhana defended her captain Harmanpreet’s on-field reaction.

“It was part and parcel of the game and Harmanpreet’s backlash was made in the heat of the moment,” said Mandhana.

“When you play for India, you want to win the match, and it happens in the heat of the moment. I think she was not really happy with the decision given and she felt she wasn’t out. That is why that reaction came about. It is just the heat of the moment and nothing much. What happened in the middle is a part and parcel of the game. We have seen these incidents so much in the past as well. When you really want that ‘W’ on the board for India, these things happen,” she added.

Fearless Harmanpreet Kaur 🔥🔥🔥🔥

I bet no one from Men’s team would dare to do this

#INDvsBAN pic.twitter.com/jwodXXFRcL

— Godman Chikna (@Madan_Chikna) July 22, 2023

Some fans also defended Harmanpreet’s on-field action.

“She has more guts than any India’s men player,” a fan tweeted in reaction to Harmanpreet’s comment in the presentation ceremony.

“Loved the way she handled it, it can be frustrating to deal with such poor umpiring decisions,” wrote another fan.

“Bangladeshis do not have the guts to do anything honestly when it comes to India. They have a sense of hostility being passed in across generations. Cricket is just a medium where they found the space to express that hostility,” a third user commented.