5 Times when pre-match sledging backfired spectacularly in Cricket

Cricket is not just a physical game between bat and ball. It also involves mind games between teams, and sledging and banter are commonplace in the game. We have often seen players make provoking statements before an important match or series, to bring their opponents under pressure. While most set the tone for a thrilling contest in the middle, some statements often backfire spectacularly and become the stuff of tabloids!

Today we look at 5 such popular instances when pre-match banter came back to haunt players and pundits.

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#1 Umar Gul challenging India's top 3 before World Cup 2011 Semi Final against India

Sehwag took apart Gul in a sensational onslaught!!

The World Cup Semi Final 2011 between India and Pakistan was one of the most anticipated matches across the globe. The build-up had reached a crescendo, and fans were eager to hear what the teams thought about each other, one day before the match. This is when Umar Gul came up with an ambitious statement in a press conference:

"India is dependent on their top 3. I am looking to dismiss those 3."

These words might not be too provocative, but here it must be taken into account that an India vs Pakistan affair, especially at the world cup, just needs a little spark to turn into a ball of fire. Needless to say, the Indians were a charged lot!

In the monumental match that followed, Virender Sehwag launched a stunning onslaught on Umar Gul, taking him for 5 fours in 1 over. Gul, who had entered the semi-final, in spectacular form throughout the world cup, saw his reputation torn into tatters, and finished the match with 69 expensive runs off 8 overs. Fair enough to say, his performance mirrored that of Pakistan, who lost by 29 runs.

#2 Andrew Caddick riling up Sachin Tendulkar before 2003 World Cup group match

Sachin blasting Caddick out of Durban!

What was a routine build up to a World Cup group match, suddenly picked up hype and steam after a fast bowler took a dig at the best batsman of the opposition side. India were scheduled to take on England in a group match in the 2003 world cup, and Andrew Caddick treated us to this stunning assessment of Sachin Tendulkar:

"Sachin is just like another batsman in the Indian team, and there are a lot others in the Indian side."

Not many bowlers dare to launch a verbal dig on the Master Blaster, but then not many bowlers were as outspoken as Andrew Caddick. Tendulkar didn't make a comment on this. But who was to rule out a Sachin special in the match that followed?

Essaying a stunning repertoire of cover drives, on drives and straight drives, Tendulkar had Caddick on his haunches sooner than he would have imagined! But the shot of the day was a murderous pull off the backfoot, which sent the ball soaring out of the ground! That iconic shot is considered as one of Tendulkar's career-best shots, and to this day is a YouTube favourite of adoring fans around the world.

Needless to say, Caddick didn't needle Tendulkar after that match!

#3 Sohail Khan's infamous "Kohli Wohli" jibe

Sohail did dismiss Kohli, but only after the damage had been done!

India Pakistan matches are never short of any drama. And so are the pre-match post conferences. If Umar Gul's comment about targeting India's top 3 in 2011 was mild, Sohail Khan took it many notches above in the 2015 world cup with this surprisingly eye-raising, almost pompous statement ahead of their first match against India:

"Kohli wohli hoga woh apne ghar me" (Kohli is a hero only in home conditions)

This was immature if not blasphemous statement by a newbie, about one of the world's best batsmen, and more so when Virat Kohli had scored 11 of his then 21 ODI centuries outside India. The fact that Sohail reserved such choice of words for a person of Kohli's demeanour made fans look forward to the match even more than before. Virat Kohli thrives against such challenge.

India batted first, and Kohli looked determined from the very onset. He didn't engage in any verbal battles but went on to score a resolute century which took India to 300. Sohail Khan did manage to dismiss Kohli but not before a fair amount of damage had been done.

Kohli scored 107 and India won by 76 runs, and suddenly Sohail Khan's pre-match sledge didn't look too intelligent.

#4 Tony Greig's infamous "grovel" comment

When the West Indies arrived for a tour of England in 1976, fans across the world looked forward to an engrossing tour. This was the fearsome West Indies side of yore, and they had the repertoire to defeat England in England.

Certainly, English Captain Tony Greig didn't think in the same vein! In what went down as one of the most shocking and controversial statements in cricketing history, Tony Greig had the following comment to make when asked to rate West Indies' chances in the test series:

"I like to think that people are building these West Indians up, because I am not really sure they’re as good as everyone thinks they are. Sure, they’ve got a couple of fast bowlers, but … you must remember that (if) the West Indian get on top they are magnificent cricketers, but if they’re down, they grovel. And I intend, with the help of Closey and a few others, to make them grovel."

It is not clear if there were any racial overtones in this statement, but the fact was that an England captain of White South African origin had said it with reference to a group of Black West Indian Cricketers.

Even if it was not racist, the statement reeked of underestimation of West Indies's prowess as a great cricketing nation. The West Indians didn't take too kindly to this words, and word has it that whenever Greig would come to bat, the fearsome pace bowlers would suddenly clock a few miles more. Balls would whiz past the head as spectators often hold their breath. 39-year-old John Eldrich and 45-year-old Brian Close had to bear the maximum brunt of the fallout, as they took multiple blows on the body in one scary session during the third test.

West Indies won the series 3-0, but not before puncturing Greig's self-belief and demeanour so much that in the final test, in the dying moments of the series, Tony Greig headed to a particular side of the ground jam-packed with Carribean fans, and dropped to his knees and bent forward. It was a symbolism of the entire series and an intended closure of his pre-series comments.

Greig did learn a lesson, but not before his statement and the entire series had gone down as a rich part of cricketing folklore.

#5 Javed Miandad's jibe at Irfan Pathan

Pathan reacts after taking one of the wickets during his hattrick

India's tour to Pakistan in 2006 was a hugely anticipated affair. India had finally managed to win in Pakistan, the last time they had toured. Pakistan sought redemption and they had a strong squad at their disposal.

During a pre-series show, Pakistan great Javed Miandad was asked to rate India's bowling, especially swing sensation Irfan Pathan, who just 4 months before had returned from a Zimbabwe tour with 21 wickets in 2 matches. Miandad was unsparing and had rather harsh words for the 22-year-old pacer from Baroda :

"Your Irfan Pathans are in every gully and mohalla(side streets) of Pakistan. We don't even bother to look at them."

This comment wasn't received well by fans across the border, and they now waited for Pathan to answer Miandad in his own style.

Pathan regularly troubled the Pakistani top order batsmen in the first two tests but didn't have too many wickets to show for it. But in the third Test, Irfan Pathan had the Pakistani top order dancing to his tune, and bagged a hat-trick in the very first over of the match, becoming the only bowler to do so in test cricket. Irfan dismissed Salman Butt and Pakistani greats Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, through a stunning exhibition of accurate swing bowling.

India went on to lose the match, but not before Irfan Pathan had answered his critics in style. He was, after all, no ordinary bowler.