"It’s your personal matter, handle it yourself" - Bengal coach Arun Lal on the Wriddhiman Saha-journalist controversy
Ever since Indian wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha accused a senior correspondent of threatening him for not giving an interview, it has created a furor with many fans and some former cricketers condemning the journalist’s action.
On 19th February 2022, hours after being dropped from the Indian Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka, Saha shared a screenshot of his WhatsApp conversation with the journalist on Twitter, questioning the sanctity of today’s journalism.
After all of my contributions to Indian cricket..this is what I face from a so called “Respected” journalist! This is where the journalism has gone. https://t.co/woVyq1sOZX
The controversy prompted the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to appoint a three-member committee to investigate the matter. On March 5, Saha deposed before the probe committee comprising BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla, treasurer Arun Dhumal and apex council member Prabhtej Singh Bhatia. However, he refused to reveal the journalist’s name to the media, citing the BCCI’s instructions to him.
Interestingly, later in the day, talk show host Boria Majumdar posted a nine-minute-long video on Twitter in which he identified himself as the hitherto unnamed journalist and accused Saha of doctoring and tampering with the screenshots. He also said that his lawyers would serve the wicket-keeper with a defamation notice and requested the BCCI for a fair hearing.
There are always two sides to a story. @Wriddhipops has doctored, tampered screenshots of my WhatsApp chats which have damaged my reputation and credibility. I have requested the @BCCI for a fair hearing. My lawyers are serving @Wriddhipops a defamation notice. Let truth prevail. https://t.co/XBsiFVpskl
The entire episode has raised a pertinent question - where should the line be drawn between a player’s privacy and a journalist’s hunt for exclusives? Former Indian opener and current Bengal coach Arun Lal, who has also donned the broadcaster’s hat for several years, thinks it’s a 'non-starter' as a controversy.
Lal told Sportskeeda during a recent interview:
“Look, I have a different view on this. I think it’s a storm in the tea cup. If somebody has misbehaved with me, what has anybody else got to do with it? It’s between him and me.”
The 66-year-old, who played a pivotal role in Bengal’s second Ranji Trophy triumph in the 1989-90 season, also called the fiasco “silly”, saying:
“I think it’s silly to make anything out of it. It’s not a controversy at all. So what if he [the journalist] has misbehaved with you? So what? Who is he? What can he do? Why should it even matter? It’s a joke as far as I am concerned.”
He continued:
“These things happen in the heat of the moment – not only between a journalist and a player, but also between two players. A lot of things are said in a heated exchange. It doesn’t mean you need to constitute a committee [to look into the matter]. It’s your personal matter, so you handle it yourself.”
Under Lal's stewardship, Bengal have won all three of their Elite Group B matches and advanced to the quarter-finals in the ongoing edition of the Ranji Trophy.
Saha, meanwhile, has been handed a central contract by the BCCI despite getting the ax. However, he was demoted from Grade B to Grade C.