Harmanpreet Kaur accused of allegedly disrespecting Bangladesh cricket team, Smriti Mandhana defends her

Harmanpreet Kaur lashed out at the on-field umpires, Muhammad Kamruzzaman and Tanvir Ahmed -- both locals --, terming their umpiring as "pathetic".

India Women vs Bangladesh Women

The intense final ODI between India women and Bangladesh women, which concluded in a thrilling tie, brought forth a fiery response from India's captain, Harmanpreet Kaur. The match was closely contested, and Kaur's emotions boiled over when she was given out during India's chase.

READ | Harmanpreet Kaur speaks out on 'pathetic umpiring' vs Bangladesh, expresses disappointment

Frustration over what she believed to be questionable umpiring standards led Kaur to express her discontent in a powerful manner. After being adjudged out, she took her bat and smashed the stumps, clearly displaying her displeasure with the decision. Furthermore, she pointed fingers at the umpire and made her feelings known, expressing her dissatisfaction with the decision-making process.

Harmanpreet post the match said, "They (Bangladesh) batted really well, batted according to the situation. They were taking those singles which were very crucial. In between, we leaked a few runs but we controlled the game very well when we were batting, but as I mentioned earlier, some pathetic umpiring was done.

The India captain lashed out at the on-field umpires, Muhammad Kamruzzaman and Tanvir Ahmed -- both locals --, terming their umpiring as "pathetic". "We are really disappointed about some decisions given by the umpires," said Harmanpreet.

During the post-match press conference, Smriti Mandhana faced a barrage of questions regarding her captain Harmanpreet Kaur's emotional outburst on the field. With remarkable poise and composure, the team's vice-captain handled the situation.

READ | India Women vs Bangladesh Women's 3rd ODI ends in a dramatic tie, both teams to share trophy

Mandhana acknowledged that Kaur's actions may not have been the ideal way to handle the situation, considering the spirit of the game. However, she also empathized with her captain, recognizing that such reactions can happen in the heat of the moment, especially in high-stakes matches like the series decider.

"Both teams played a very good brand of cricket. What happened in the middle is part and parcel of the game. We've seen these incidents so much when we see men's cricket so I'm sure you know something like this happening in women's cricket (is not unusual). When you want to play for India, you always want to win and in the heat of the moment, she wasn't really happy with the decision given. She was given out, she felt she wasn't so that is why that reaction came out.

"Knowing Harman as a person, knowing how much she wants to win (it can happen) but from the spirit of the game, I wouldn't say it is acceptable. But when you really want to win for India, these things happen," Mandhana said in the post-match presentation after the 3rd ODI which ended in a tie after India's lower order collapsed while chasing 225.

Despite Smriti Mandhana's composed response during the press conference, the reporters seemed unsatisfied with her answers and continued to press her on Harmanpreet Kaur's behaviour during the post-match presentation. They raised concerns that Kaur may have disrespected Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty during the group photographs.

Several reports circulated in the Bangladesh media, suggesting that before posing for the team photo in the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet asked the organizers to include the umpires in the photo, implying that they were responsible for the tied match and the shared trophy.

In defence of her captain, Smriti Mandhana firmly stated that Harmanpreet did not say anything disrespectful to the Bangladesh captain. She clarified that any actions taken were not meant to offend or disrespect anyone and that they might have been misconstrued.

"I don't think (she said this). You have stated it. I don't think she said anything towards the Bangladesh captain. From whatever I heard, think talked a bit about umpiring. I don't think she said anything about them (the Bangladesh players).

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