The Border Gavaskar 2024-25 Series recently witnessed an off-field controversy involving Ravindra Jadeja.
The left-arm spinner addressed a press conference on Saturday ahead of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the proceedings of it have not impressed some media outlets it seems.
Channel 7 carried out a report claiming Jadeja “refused” to answer questions from their reporters in English and the TV reporters, who had travelled all the way after being “invited” and were left “bemused by the “strange and frosty media conference at the MCG.”
Notably, Jadeja addressed the media after India’s first practice session at the MCG. The press conference proceeded smoothly until Jadeja concluded the session and decided to return to practice. At this point, an Australian journalist expressed frustration, displaying anger over Jadeja not answering any questions in English.
A couple of Australian journalists were rude towards the Indian media manager, asking their camerapersons to keep recording their conversation with the Indian media manager. Their behaviour bordered on the aggressive.
Australian media: One question in English?
Team manager: sorry, we don’t have time now. You can see the team bus is waiting.
Aussie media: Can’t we take one question in English?
Manager: This was organised mainly for the travelling Indian media.
Aussie media: The organisation is hopeless.
This incident comes a couple of days after Channel 7 invaded India legend Virat Kohli’s privacy by filing him with his children without his consent at the Melbourne airport. Although there is no written rule that stops the media from filming a superstar like Kohli in the public domain, his family, especially his young children, could have been spared. Moreover, the aggressive reporting, claiming Kohli lost his cool and had a heated exchange with a female reporter on the same channel, was also questionable.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy stands at 1-1, and before the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, it appears that tension is not limited to the cricketers on the field.
