India captain Harmanpreet Kaur is set to be fined 75 per cent of her match fee and also receive four demerit points for her conduct in Saturday's women’s ODI against Bangladesh.
As per the current ICC rules, once a player is given 3-4 demerit points within 24 months, it amounts to a Level II offence, which means he/she will be handed a one-Test or two-limited-over-game ban.
The BCCI, it has been learnt, is likely to have a word or two with Harmanpreet about her conduct when the team’s performance on the just-concluded tour gets reviewed. It also remains to be seen if any disciplinary action is taken later against the skipper.
The final ODI at Mirpur on Saturday ended in a dramatic tie as India, in spite of cruising towards a win, were all out for 225 with three balls to spare after Bangladesh had posted 225/4.
But the most talked about incident of the game turned out to be captain Harmanpreet’s behaviour as she smashed the stumps on being adjudged lbw, had a heated argument with the on-field umpire and even gestured as she headed her way back to the pavilion.
So furious was Harmanpreet that even after lambasting the umpires during the presentation ceremony, her rants didn’t stop.
According to a video surfacing on Twitter, the India skipper apparently shouted “bring the umpires too” when she held the trophy along with her Bangladesh counterpart Nigar Sultana Joty, suggesting they were also a part of the home side.
Several big names in international cricket have expressed their displeasure at umpiring decisions by breaking the stumps or in some other way. But it’s tough to recall whether any captain in the past has behaved in such a manner during the official photo session.
"Harmanpreet has always been an aggressive cricketer. In fact, you do need this kind of aggression at this level. But such aggression wasn't necessary during a photo session," agreed Mithu Mukherjee, a former (women's) national selector, whose term ended earlier this year.
The Indians were unhappy with the umpiring decisions in the decider, particularly with Yastika Bhatia and Meghna Singh's dismissals.
Mukherjee, however, was quick to point out: "But what's the explanation behind not being able to get only 10 off 19 balls with four wickets in hand?
"Even if there were umpiring errors, what caused the other dismissals and how did the collapse happen despite such a favourable situation? Some introspection certainly has to be done."