New Delhi: Former Indian fast bowler Sreesanth alleged on Thursday that Gautam Gambhir, his former teammate, accused him of being a “fixer” during a Legends League Cricket encounter. The incident transpired in an Eliminator match between Indian Capitals and Gujarat Giants, leading to a heated exchange between the two players, necessitating the intervention of umpires to de-escalate the situation. Sreesanth, initially handed a life ban by BCCI due to his purported involvement in the IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal, had the ban reduced to seven years in 2019 by the Supreme Court of India.
Following the match, Sreesanth went live on Instagram to talk about the incident in great detail, accusing Gambhir of using “bad words” and being disrespectful. Interestingly, the former India opener didn’t directly retaliate to Sreesanth’s allegations but made a cryptic post on his official social media platforms.
“Smile when the world is all about attention!” Gambhir had written.
The former India opener did receive backing from a few former teammates on the post but Sreesanth penned a lengthy and vehement message condemning Gambhir for his conduct. The fast bowler expressed that he has “lost respect” for the cricketer-turned-politician in the aftermath of the incident.
“You have exceeded the boundaries of a sportsman and a brother, and above all, you represent the people. Yet, you continue to engage in conflicts with every cricketer. What is the matter with you? All I did was smile and observe, and you labeled me a fixer? Seriously? Are you above the Supreme Court? You have no authority to speak in such a manner and say whatever you please,” Sreesanth wrote.
“You even verbally abused the umpires, and yet you speak of smiling? You are an arrogant and utterly classless individual who lacks any form of respect for those who supported you. Until yesterday, I always held respect for you and your family. However, you used the derogatory term “fixer” not just once, but seven or eight times. You even resorted to using the F-word towards the umpires and myself, persistently trying to provoke me.
“Anyone who has experienced what I have endured would never forgive you. Deep down, you know that what you said and did was wrong. Im sure even God wont forgive you. You didn’t even come to the field aftwr that. Come on, God is watching everything,” Sreesanth commented on Gambhir’s post.
The Legends League Cricket, meanwhile, stated that they will conduct an “internal investigation” on th incident, adding if evidence of misconduct is found against any player it would be “dealt with strictly.”
“Legends League Cricket strives to uphold the spirit of cricket and sportsmanship and will conduct an internal investigation on the violation of the code of conduct. Any misconduct that has occurred both on and off the field including on social media platforms will be dealt with strictly,” said Syed Kirmani, head of code of conduct & ethics committee, LLC in a statement on Thursday.
“The code of conduct has clearly stated that necessary action will be taken against players that bring disrepute to the league, the spirit of the game and the teams that they are representing.
“We make our stand very clear and continue to work towards sharing the game with millions of cricketing lovers across the nation and world,” added the former India wicket-keeping great.
