What’s the story?
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has said that his respect for Australian skipper Steve Smith has risen after he apologised for his action in the post-match press conference for his antics during the Dharamshala Test.
“Steve Smith is a big man to admit that he has made a mistake. My respect for him has gone even higher for admitting that he was wrong,” Gavaskar told NDTV.
Another opener, but of a different era, Aakash Chopra echoed Gavaskar’s words, stating that by apologising Smith has shown that he isn’t just a great batsman but also a fine human being.
"Not only a great batsman but Steve Smith is a very good human being,” he said.
In case you didn’t know...
Smith has been in the news for all the wrong reasons from Monday evening after being caught in camera for allegedly abusing Indian cricketer Murali Vijay and in the post-match press conference admitted that the series had been a very intense one and he was apologetic for losing control over his emotions.
Extra Cover: A lot of people wrote us off - Smith proud of Australia in defeat
The heart of the matter
Speaking later about India’s performance, the 67-year-old said that the present team under Anil Kumble had the ability to do well overseas as well and also praised Ajinkya Rahane for the way he led the side in the absence of Virat Kohli, who was ruled out with a shoulder injury.
For Chopra, the evolution of Ravindra Jadeja during the course of the series was the standout feature. The all-rounder made 127 runs with the bat and took 25 wickets with the ball and deservingly won the Player of the Series award.
What’s next?
It will be interesting to see if Smith alters his behaviour when he and his team plays India next time around. That is not set to happen for a while and he does have the time to improve upon his actions and become both an improved cricketer as well as an improved human being.
Author’s take
It is indeed pleasing to see Smith come out and apologise for his actions and it reveals that while players can lose their cool on the field, they are certainly aware where they had gone wrong and are willing to improve upon it.
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