Indian U19 skipper Priyam Garg calls Bangladeshi players' celebration 'dirty', winning captain Akbar Ali apologizes for incident
Indian U-19 skipper Priyam Garg was not a fan of the Bangladeshi players' celebration following their victory in the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup final in Potchefstroom on Sunday, calling it 'dirty'. The Bangladesh U-19 side won an ICC event for the first time in their cricketing history, defeating India by three wickets as they chased down 170 (revised target) in the summit clash.
The players from the two teams got involved in a heated altercation after the match, which included pushing and exchange of words. There was an air of tension around the ground as the Bangladeshi players looked to express their unbridled happiness at the landmark achievement.
Garg expressed his disappointment over the reaction shown by their counterparts and also said that his own team took the loss calmly:
We were easy. We think it's part and parcel of the game - you win some and you lose some. But their reaction was dirty. I think it shouldn't have happened. But it's okay.
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As per the reports, pacer Shoriful Islam showed undue aggression towards the Indian batsmen after certain deliveries. Islam, who picked up two wickets in the final, including the vital wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal, didn't shy away from expressing his emotions during the match.
Winning captain Akbar Ali, who was instrumental in chasing down the target with his innings of 43* in 77 balls, apologized for the 'unfortunate event' and said that it happened only because the boys got pumped up with such a historic feat.
What happened, it should not [have] happened. I don't know what exactly happened. I didn't ask what was going on. But, you know, in the final, emotion can come out, and sometimes the boys were getting pumped, and emotions were coming through. As a youngster, it shouldn't happen. In any position, in any manner, we have to show the respect to the opponent, we should have respect for the game.
Cricket is known for being a gentleman's game. So I'll say, I'll be sorry for my team.
India and Bangladesh have had a well-documented rivalry at the senior level in recent times, with many of the matches between the two Asian countries ending in tight finishes. But India have usually come out on top - including in the group-stage fixture of ICC T20 World Cup 2016, the final of the Asia Cup, and the Nidahas Trophy.
Bangladesh's skipper recalled the rivalry between India and Bangladesh in recent years and explained the feeling of 'revenge' which took over the players during the match.
I'll say India-Bangladesh rivalry bring the part, and before the World Cup final, we lost the Asia Cup final to them a couple of months ago. So I think the boys are really pumped up and take a revenge. I won't say it should have happened, but I will be sorry for my side.