There have been already a lot of discussions taking place around the India versus Bangladesh women’s series topic, with Harmanpreet Kaur banned by ICC for two matches for her misconduct on and off the field. This behavior of the Indian Captain was criticised by Bangladesh women captain Nigar Sultana Joty and as well as some of the great players resulting in a social media outrage.
The recent India versus Bangladesh women’s series has garnered significant attention, particularly due to Harmanpreet Kaur’s two-match ban stemming from her on and off-field behavior. Bangladesh’s captain, Nigar Sultana Joty, shed some light on the fiercely contested series and addressed the umpiring issue that was raised following India’s defeat.
When asked about Harmanpreet’s actions being impulsive and whether mistakes are common in sports, Nigar Sultana Joty acknowledged these points during her interview on Revsportz. She concurred that such occurrences indeed take place in sports and emphasized that this wasn’t the first instance of emotions getting the better of a player in the heat of the moment.
“However, had it been restricted to the field of play, honestly speaking I would not have felt bad about it or felt disappointed. I would have told my players that it was all in the intensity of the moment and it is better than all of us moved on from it. But what really disappointed me was that it was not restricted to the field of play. Let me tell you something. For my players too Harmanpreet is a legend of the game. They too look up to her. And when they came and said to me how can a legend of her stature do this to us, I felt sad and disappointed. That’s what has pained me the most.” Nigar Sultana said.
Asked if Joty could have reacted differently as opposed to taking her team off the field, she said, “There are certain things that are permissible in sport and there are certain things that are not. By the time of the prize giving the game was over. The match had ended and it was over and done with. Off the field, we are all players who play the same sport and should have respect for each other. That’s what we are taught in sports and that’s what I believe in. To tell you the truth I had felt that whatever may have happened earlier Harmanpreet and Smriti would walk up to my girls and give them a pat on their back after the match was over and tell them well played.”
On India’s charge of poor umpiring, she said, “The very same umpires officiated in the T-20 series which India won. In fact, that too was a very close series and I feel we should have done better in the second game and won it but we did not. But that is not the point here. The moot point is the very same umpires officiated in the T-20 series as well. There was not a single complaint from India. Is it because they had won the series? Had they won the final ODI, would they have raised the issue of umpiring or was it raised because they did not win the series and they were disappointed and frustrated with the result? We have always been taught as cricketers to respect the umpire’s decision as final and move on.”
Joty said she hoped this series could open the WPL doors for her players. “Players do the best they can to get better. To get better you need more opportunities. To see my players play in the WPL or in the BBL or the Hundred will be a dream come true for me. That’s why we play this game, isn’t it? And from what we have been able to show against India we do have the potential to be very good cricketers. Our players have the potential to make it big and if this series opens up doors for some of them, that’s the best outcome possible. It has also given us the confidence of doing well in future tournaments and I am sure the girls will take the field with greater self-confidence and self-belief in the future. This series could well turn out to be a watershed moment for the game in Bangladesh,” she added.
