8 instances when naturally calm cricketers lost their cool

Dravids first and only tryst with on-field angerCricket was considered to be a gentleman's game, but with time, the game has evolved. Long gone are the days of British stoicism, when cricket was a game played in whites and only between high teas.The game has become more competitive and players have become more persevering, which sometimes leads to an outburst of emotion. Andwhile that is the case for most cricketers nowadays, there is still a rare breed of 'gentlemen' who manage to be calm even under the most trying circumstances.These playersdo not let their emotions show and are mostly considered to be sportsmen of mild and dignified demeanour.But sometimes, even people who are usually the pictureof calmness, lose their head. Here is a look at eight such instances when naturally calm cricketers lost their cool:

#1 Rahul Dravid lost his cool with Shoaib Akhtar

The Wall and the Rawalpindi Express had a clash

Rahul Dravid is one such cricketer who probably re-defines the meaning of being a gentleman. A huge ambassador for the sport, Dravid has hardly been known to crumble under pressure of let his nerves of steel to falter.

However, even The Wall found it hard to control his emotions against the Pakistan team, which is always a high-octane match. During the Champions Trophy match between India and Pakistan on 19th September 2004, there was a verbal fight between Rahul Dravid and Shoaib Akhtar.

Having just been hit for a boundary by Dravid, Akthar was charged up. He was trying to slightly provoke the batsman, as is the norm with fast bowlers.

Dravid after finishing the first run unintentionally ran into Shoaib, who was also ball-watching. The speedster was livid and made himself heard as he said something to Dravid. What happened next was completely unexpected. Instead of walking away, which is his usual reaction, Dravid walked up to the bowler to find out what was bothering him and gave him a mouthful.

Seeing that the quiet batsman had been provoked, skipper Inzamam ul Haq and the umpire sorted out the matter.

#2 MS Dhoni\'s fight with the umpire

MS Dhoni was very displeased with the umpire’s wrong decision

He is called the Captain Cool. He is known for his ice cold nerves and his calm presence on the field. The Indian captain has hardly been known to have shown his emotions on the field but the Commonwealth Bank Series in 2012 turned out to be an exception.

India were playing against Australia when MS Dhoni appealed for stumping Michael Hussey. The drama surrounding this brought out a different and a previously unseen side of Dhoni. The third umpire, Bruce Oxenford pressed the wrong button and ruled Hussey out when he intended to do the opposite.

The umpires were quick to stop Hussey from leaving the ground to ensure that the right decision had been made. What followed was absolutely unexpected as Dhoni was seen having an animated talk with the umpires – even pointing his finger at one juncture. It was quite a change from the Dhoni who doesn’t respond to such on-field issues and goes about doing his job quietly.

#3 Jacques Kallis displeased with Kemar Roach

Kemar Roach and Jacques Kallis had a nasty run-in

Kemar Roach was on fire for the West Indies as he caused all sorts of problems to the batsmen, even hitting Proteas’ skipper Graeme Smith on the neck with a bouncer during the third Test in Barbados in 2010.

He had some banter reserved for the legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis who would not take any nonsense from him. The usually indifferent cricketer appeared furious at the youngster.

After troubling Kallis with bouncers of 144 km/h, Roach and Kallis exchange unpleasant chatter before Chanderpaul and later the umpire intervened. The South African was clearly insulted and could be seen wildly gesturing with his hands.

At the end of the match, there again seemed to be trouble brewing up when both were supposed to shake hands with each other, which they did, but blandly. AB de Villiers stepped in to comfort both the players.

#4 Mahela Jayawardene in a verbal clash with Michael Clarke

Mahela Jayawardene was irritated with the Australian’s opinion that he was out

This happened during a Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka. It was a match pushing towards Australian victory and Sri Lanka was 317/6 in its second innings, only 80 ahead. The match was finally drawn because rain played spoilsport but not before it had witnessed the usually calm Jayawardene lose his cool.

Michael Clarke took a brilliant, low and diving catch to send Jayawardene back to the pavilion. However, the Sri Lankan had doubts whether the ball had been caught cleanly and hence stood his ground till the umpire pointed his finger.

This began a verbal altercation between Clarke and Mahela. Clarke to approached the batsman and explained that he had taken the catch cleanly off Trent Copeland's bowling.

“Mahela! 100 per cent, 100 per cent I caught that. Clear as,” Clarke said. “It's up to you (whether you want to walk or refer it), but if you're asking, 100 per cent I caught that.”

Jayawardene responded, saying “I do walk mate, just wait. Chill.”

There was an obvious exchange between Jayawardene and the Australian huddle as he left the ground after being adjudged out.

#5 VVS Laxman screaming at Pragyan Ojha

VVS Laxman was spotted scolding Pragyan Ojha

VVS Laxman is someone that we least expect to lose his cool. He got angry at the careless running of number 11 Pragyan Ojha and almost threw a bat at him. This happened during the tense last moments in a nail-biting Mohali Test match in 2010 which India won by 1 wicket against Australia.

The match could have gone either way and it was upto Laxman to win it for India. He had lost all his partners and Ojha was the last man. Naturally, the tranquil cricketer was riled up when his partner was making a mess of things while running between the wickets.

Laxman could be seen glaring and scolding the spinner animatedly, an incredibly rare sight coming from him.

#6 Matt Prior breaking dressing room windows at Lord\'s

Matt Prior apologised to everyone after he ‘accidentally’ broke the glass

Batsmen are not happy when they are run out. Matt Prior, the English wicket-keeper who normally keeps a low profile, decided to break windows when he was run out.

Prior stomped off the ground after a mid-pitch misunderstanding with Ian Bell during the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lords in 2011. What happened next in the dressing room remained ambiguous but it was certain that it involved some violent handling of his kit. Angry that he did not get a fair chance to perform, especially after scoring 126 in the first innings of the same match, he may have thrown around his kit harder than he would have liked.

The end result was that the calm serenity of Lord’s was shattered, as was the window of the dressing-room. Shards of glass flew down and landed among the spectators seated below, injuring one woman.

After Prior realised what had happened, he went down and apologised to the audience.

#7 Inzamam ul Haq\'s assault on the crowd

The calm Inzy was furious at the crowd for bad-mouthing him

One of the most unlikely cricketers to lose their cool, Inzamam ul Haq took it to heart when a spectator in Toronto passed a remark on his burly physique.

During a match against India in 1997, Inzy assaulted a member of the crowd, Shiv Kumar Thind, who had been comparing him to several kinds of potato on a megaphone. According to eyewitnesses, a cricket bat was brought out by the Pakistan team's 12th man, Mushtaq Ahmed, who then waited at the boundary with the bat.

Canadian Police arrested Inzy and charged him with two counts of assault and one count of assault with a deadly weapon. He was released soon, but not after he was handed out a two-ODI ban.

#8 Sunil Gavaskar walking out of the match

Sunil Gavaskar walked out with his team mate Chetan Chauhan

During India's tour to Australia in 1980-81, skipper Sunil Gavaskar almost conceded a Test at Melbourne in an apparent fit of anger. He lost his cool in Melbourne when he was given out by the Australian umpire Rex Whitehead. Throughout the series, Whitehead had awarded several contentious decisions against the Indians. So when Gavaskar was adjudged out leg-before off Dennis Lillee, he was livid.

Gavaskar was upset, as he was convinced that the ball took an inside-edge before it hit his left pad. He tried to explain that he had edged the ball, but the umpire had made his decision.

He asked his fellow batsman Chetan Chauhan to walk off the ground with him. Team Manager Salim Durani asked Chauhan to return to the match. Interestingly, India went on to win the match by 59 runs.