Yashasvi Jaiswal was less than five years old when the French footballer Zenedine Zidane headbutted Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the final of the 2006 World Cup football. It earned Zidane a red card in the final match of his career.
In this case, Jaiswal’s helmet was dangerously close to making contact with Fernando. If there’s one thing worse than a regular headbutt, it is a headbutt with helmet on. Most international players ignore such provocation, and walk on, perhaps plotting revenge with their own fast bowlers if they carry a grudge.
Both players were fined 25% of their match fees; I am not sure if the DRS could have confirmed if there was a touch.
Zidane claimed that the defender had insulted his sister (professional lip readers couldn’t agree on exactly what was said) as justification for the headbutt eight minutes from the final whistle. On one memorable occasion, India’s then captain and opening batter Sunil Gavaskar, given a send off by Dennis Lillee, the Australian fast bowler, nearly forfeited a Test in Melbourne by asking his partner Chetan Chauhan to walk off with him (Gavaskar has often said that was the one act on a cricket field he regretted) before good sense returned.
After a Test at Lord’s where there had been some needle, K.L. Standing up for a friend or colleague is wonderful, but it must not degenerate into a public spat. There are subtler ways of getting a message across. But like justice being done, it appears as if revenge must not only be taken but seen to be taken. If anyone crosses the line we need to let them know this India will fight and reply,” was Jaiswal’s response to a commentator who had urged restraint. This is the motto of the so-called ‘New India’, which needs to assert itself at every turn, and one which is determined to show all and sundry who is boss. It may not be long before, like the national hockey team, the cricket team too wears orange for white ball cricket. After all, blue is the colour of the sky, and can be very confusing for the blue-wearing players and even television viewers. It is a good argument, but when things cross a line, it brings the game itself into disrepute. Cricket is a non-contact sport; may it ever remain thus.
Rahul said, “If you go after one of our guys, you are going after the whole team, all eleven of us will come right back. “If you don’t know what (Fernando) said, then please don’t make your judgement. There is a school of thought which believes that what is said (or done) on the field of play should remain there.