What Rohit Sharma said to Shubman Gill is a drop in the ocean of skirmishes cricketers have had

Rohit Sharma (Photo via X)

As Rohit Sharma pushed the ball to mid-off and set off for a single, Shubman Gill committed the cardinal sin “ball-watching” instead of responding to his partner’s call. Run out by some distance, Rohit left the ground fuming at Gill in the Mohali T20I against Afghanistan on January 11, 2024.

“You feel frustrated because you want to be out there and score runs for your team,” Rohit admitted at the press conference. The matter did not turn ugly, unlike some incidents of the past.

Over the years, cricketers have fought with their oppositions, match officials, administrators, coaches, and even the fans. A search with Javed Miandad-Dennis Lillee or Mike Gatting-Shakoor Rana will return iconic images and videos. Incidents between teammates, however, are rare.

Jardine and Allen and Pataudi, 1932/33

To win the Ashes in Australia, England needed to curb Don Bradman. For that, Douglas Jardine used a strategy that went on to be called Bodyline. The English fast bowlers would bowl with an umbrella of six to eight close-in fielders on the leg side.

Three English fast bowlers – Bill Bowes, Bill Voce, and most famously, Douglas Jardine – agreed to bowl Bodyline, but Gubby Allen did not. Allen’s great rapport with the establishment allowed him to get away.

Not as lucky was Iftikhar Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi, who refused to be one of the close-in fielders. “I see his highness is a conscientious objector,” observed Jardine, and dropped him from the side.

Vizzy and Lala Amarnath, 1936

The Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram laid out an elaborate Machiavellian scheme to become the Indian captain on the 1936 tour of England. A very ordinary cricketer and insecure to the core, “Vizzy” created deliberate rifts in the side.

Young Amarnath was in excellent form that summer, but he had an argument with Vizzy over field placements and threw the ball on the ground. The Vizzy camp responded by trying to implicate Amarnath in false allegations of womanising. When these fell flat, Vizzy forced Amarnath, who was suffering from back pain, to bowl long spells.

During the match against the Minor Counties, Vizzy demoted Amarnath down the batting order for little reason. The youngster later unleashed the choicest of Punjabi verbal volleys in the pavilion. Vizzy announced that Amarnath would have to leave for India. Some senior cricketers intervened; Amarnath even wrote a letter of apology; but he had to leave without playing a single Test match.

Upon return, he got a hero’s welcome, and was paid a hefty hardship allowance. Vizzy was sacked immediately after the tour.

Gerry Alexander and Roy Gilchrist, 1958/59

In his prime, Gilchrist bowled at terrifying pace, and could have been one of the great fast bowlers. Unfortunately, he also had a problem with temper. A psychiatrist would have addressed it today, but the 1950s were different times.

On his last tour of India, Gilchrist claimed 26 wickets in four Test matches, and generously peppered the hapless Indians with bouncers and beamers. Then, in the match against North Zone, he was up against Swaranjit Singh, who had once written “something nasty” about Gilchrist.

Here, Swaranjit drove Gilchrist for four and mocked him with “You like that one? Beautiful, wasn’t it?” Gilchrist bowled a beamer. Swaranjit edged the next ball, but Gerry Alexander, captain, keeper, Swaranjit’s friend at Cambridge, and a man Gilchrist seldom liked, dropped it.

Gilchrist bowled another beamer. Alexander talked to him, but Gilchrist responded with yet another beamer, and the teams broke for lunch. “You leave by the next flight, good afternoon,” Alexander informed Gilchrist.

There were rumours of Gilchrist pulling a knife at Alexander in response.
The white, Cambridge-educated, Alexander’s treatment of the black, underprivileged Gilchrist caused a storm back home in the West Indies.

Ian Botham and Geoff Boycott, 1977/78

He might have been a great batter, but Boycott was not a popular man, even among teammates. He was leading England on their tour of New Zealand, where they lost the first Test match. In the second, England secured a 183-run lead by the fourth day and needed quick runs for a declaration.

None of that mattered, for Boycott would sleepwalk in characteristic fashion for a two-hour 26. This did not amuse vice-captain Bob Willis. As Botham, promoted to four for quick runs, walked out, Willis advised him to “run the bugger out”.

Shortly afterwards, Botham pushed a ball to extra-cover, called Boycott for a run, and left him stranded. When a dumbfounded Boycott asked, Botham famously responded with “I’ve just run you out.”

England declared overnight and won the match on the final day. Botham and Boycott would have subsequent tiffs as well, but off the field.

Kim Hughes and Rodney Hogg, 1983/84

Fast bowler Rodney Hogg never liked his captain, Kim Hughes. He also had a bad temper. In the 1978/79 Bangalore Test match, Hogg lost his rhythm, overstepped 11 times in six overs, bowled a beamer, and kicked the stumps. Hughes sent Hogg off the ground, apologised to the umpire, and made Hogg issue an apology as well.

Five years later in the West Indies, Hogg wanted specific field placements. Hughes did not agree. Hogg responded by punching Hughes to the ground.

Mohammad Azharuddin and Navjot Sidhu, 1996

It is well-known that Sidhu left India’s 1996 tour of England midway, following a spat with captain Azharuddin. Sidhu brought allegations of verbal abuse, which Azharuddin denied, and there was a subsequent enquiry. Despite multiple speculations, the exact cause of the spat remained unknown until former BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele wrote his memoir.
It transpired that Azharuddin often used the words “maa ke…”  to address Sidhu, an endearing way to address in Hyderabadi but a common swear-word in North India.

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, 2007

During the 2007 T20 World Cup, there were reports of Shoaib hitting Asif with a cricket bat inside the dressing-room. Following investigations, the Pakistan Cricket Board sent Shoaib home.

Shoaib later accused Shahid Afridi of “aggravating the situation” by cracking a joke at Shoaib's expense. Asif had sided with Afridi. In retaliation, Shoaib had swung the bat at Afridi, but Afridi ducked, and the bat hit Asif on the thigh. Afridi denied these allegations.

Chris Gayle and Sulieman Benn, 2010

During an ODI against South Africa in Dominica, West Indies captain Gayle asked left-arm spinner Benn to bowl over the wicket. When Benn refused to oblige, Gayle simply asked him to leave the field.

“Benn didn't have any injury. We asked him to do a job and he couldn’t deliver, so it doesn’t make any sense,” explained Gayle at the post-match presentation.

Harbhajan Singh and Ambati Rayudu, 2016

Both men were playing for the Mumbai Indians against the Rising Pune Supergiants. Saurabh Tiwary pulled a short-pitched ball from Harbhajan. Rayudu sprinted from deep mid-wicket but could not save the ball.

Harbhajan hurled abuses, and Rayudu responded. The two men charged at each other, but thankfully, by the time they physically converged, Harbhajan had realised what could go wrong. He tried to calm down Rayudu, who walked away – though he apologised two years later.