Harper believes something must be done to stop Dhoni from continuously disrespecting “the Spirit of Cricket”
Former International Cricket Council (ICC) umpire Daryl Harper has slammed India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for constantly “ignoring the Spirit of Cricket”.
During the second Test against England at Mumbai, Harper believes batsman Jonny Bairstow was not out after he hit a ball which deflected off Gautam Gambhir’s helmet before being taken by another fielder.
However, Harper noted that he was disgusted by Dhoni’s continuous even though he knew the ball had clearly deflected off Gambhir’s helmet.
“New accolades for M.S. Dhoni, the India skipper refused to withdraw an appeal when replays clearly showed that the ball had made contact with Gambhir’s helmet before he completed a catch to dismiss Bairstow,” The Dawn quoted Harper as saying. “It is a clear breach of the laws of cricket and any national captain worth his weight in salt would have immediately withdrawn the appeal and allowed Bairstow to continue his innings. But Dhoni is a repeated offender when it comes to ignoring the Spirit of Cricket.
“After the first Test, didn’t Dhoni make a thinly veiled disparaging remark about the umpires when he claimed that India had been forced to take more than ten wickets in England’s second innings?”
But, Harper also recalls other matches where Dhoni disrespected the “Spirit of Cricket”.
“In Jamaica in 2011, this was the same captain who mumbled something obscure about being back in his hotel room earlier if the correct decisions had been made!” Harper said. “What does the Spirit of Cricket mean when it refers to respect for opponents, officials and the game?
“Clearly Dhoni is above the game, but his history of disrespect for the game continues to build, for refusing to allow Bairstow to continue, I expect that Dhoni will now be felicitated for his gesture. Maybe it will be an MBE; Member of the Bullies Empire or simply an OBE; Often Belligerent to Everyone.
“After all, MS Dhoni is the Indian captain and India does provide an estimated 70% of the world’s cricket revenue doesn’t it?. The whole thing does have a distinctive ring about it! It’s another case of too many Indians and not enough chiefs.”