NEW DELHI: Harbhajan Singh minces no words in slamming Australian players as the former India off-spinner has now accused legendary Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist for his involvement in cheating against India in the 2007-08 tour.
Harbhajan criticised Gilchrist, stating that he was not a “gentleman cricketer” and had been involved in cheating. He urged fans to stop idolising the former Australian wicketkeeper-batter as a saint.
The infamous Sydney Test in 2008 between India and Australia was marred by controversies especially regarding umpiring decisions.
During the match, Rahul Dravid was controversially dismissed after missing a straight ball from Andrew Symonds. Gilchrist immediately claimed the wicket, and Dravid was given out. The batter was stunned, and replays confirmed there was no edge, indicating the umpire made an error in judgment. This decision led to a heated debate over the fairness of the call.
“He is often praised for walking off after nicking the ball. For me, he was not a saint, and we should stop praising him. He was also involved in cheating against India in that Sydney Test. He knew that Dravid didn’t nick the ball but still claimed the catch. It was because of him the umpire declared the batter out. If he was so good, why did he appeal on that day?,” Harbhajan said on Star Sports
“On one hand he used to walk off to show the world that he was a good person, but on the other hand, he was involved in cheating. India were not playing against 11 players on that but against 13 ( two umpires). We could have easily drawn the game but ended up losing because of what happened on the field,” he added.