Sunil Gavaskar angry on commentary at 'dishonest' Ricky Ponting in 2008 Sydney Test; watch

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar turned 71 on Friday, July 10. Nicknamed the ‘Little Master’, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest Test batsmen to have graced the game. While the cricketer-turned-commentator was commended for his rock-solid defensive technique against pacers, the former opening batsman always took an aggressive approach while supporting Team India behind the mic. Such was the case during the controversial 2008 Sydney Test against Australia where several umpiring decisions went against the Indian team.

To commemorate the Sunil Gavaskar birthday occasion, here is a look back at his commentary gig from the 2008 Sydney Test where the legendary cricketer lambasted then Australian captain Ricky Ponting for being ‘dishonest’ with the on-field umpires.

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Sunil Gavaskar birthday: Cricketer-turned-commentator derides Ricky Ponting in 2008 Sydney Test

Sunil Gavaskar was on-air alongside Harsha Bhogle during India’s run-chase on Day 5 of the 2008 Sydney Test. A major controversy broke out when batsman Sourav Ganguly nicked the ball to Michael Clarke standing at second slip. While the TV replays displayed inconclusive evidence that the catch was cleanly taken, an unsure Mark Benson asked for clarification from Australian captain Ricky Ponting instead of taking the decision to the third umpire. The Australian skipper raised his finger in response, thus informing the umpire the catch was cleanly taken.

Sunil Gavaskar criticised both Ricky Ponting and Mark Benson for the incident during his commentary duty at the time. The former Indian skipper ridiculed the umpiring decision and lashed out at Ponting for displaying ‘double standards’ throughout the match. He said that umpire Benson should not have taken the word of the Australian captain, who himself was ‘not so honest while batting’. Sunil Gavaskar was referring to Ricky Ponting’s leg glance which was caught behind by wicketkeeper MS Dhoni in their first innings, with the same umpire turning down the appeal by bowler Sourav Ganguly. The commentator said that if the Australian batsman stood his own ground despite nicking the ball, he had no business doing umpiring work while fielding.

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Sunil Gavaskar birthday: Sunil Gavaskar criticises Ricky Ponting on-air, watch video

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Image credit: Screenshot from Cricketopia Twitter