The players have to be disciplined: Azharuddin, Kapil want strict action against obnoxious U19 players
Former India captains Mohammad Azharuddin and Kapil Dev called for strict action against the unruly U19 players who were involved in a spat after the U19 World Cup final got over against Bangladesh Potchefstroom. Following Bangladesh's win, some of their players charged towards their Indian counterparts and they retaliated as well, which led to an ugly conclusion in South Africa.
Five players were sanctioned as well by the International Cricket Council for their behaviour post match. Out of which, two were from India and three from Bangladesh. Akash Singh and Ravi Bishnoi recieved sanctions from India while Md. Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain and Rakibul Hasan were called out from Bangladesh.
However, according to Azhar and Kapil, that is not enough and the youngsters should be disciplined while there is time.
"I would take action against the errant Under 19 players but I also want to know what role has the support staff played in educating these youngsters. Act now before it is too late. The players have to be disciplined," Mohammad Azharuddin was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
"I would like to see the Board take some strict action against the players to set an example. Cricket is not about abusing the opponent. I am sure there is enough reason for these youngsters to be dealt with firmly by BCCI."
"I welcome aggression. Nothing wrong in it. But it has to be controlled aggression. You can’t cross the line of decency in the name of being competitive. I would say it was unacceptable that youngsters put up such an obnoxious display on the cricket field," Kapil said.
Earlier, Bishan Singh Bedi also criticized the poor behaviour displayed by the young cricketers.
"You bat, bowl and field badly, it happens, but there's no excuse for behaving badly. The behaviour at the Under 19 World Cup final was disgusting and most disgraceful. The innocence of that age was not visible at all," Bedi told Mid Day.
"Look, what Bangladesh do is their problem, what our boys do is our problem. You could see that there was abusive language used," he added.
