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'Does Spirit of the Game Logic Apply to You?': Gambhir's Dig After Bairstow Stumping Controversy

image-ljmjj1j4Bairstow got run-out in a controversial manner at Lord's (AP Photo)

The recent dispute surrounding Jonny Bairstow's controversial dismissal during the final day of the second Ashes Test match at the Lord’s has set the cricket world ablaze.


Gambhir slams England fans over double standards

Australian wicketkeeper, Alex Carey, seized an unexpected opportunity to run out Bairstow when the English batter had presumed that the ball was dead and had left his crease. The stumper's quick thinking led to a prompt throw onto the stumps, a perfectly legal move under the sport's rules.

Despite being declared out, Bairstow's run-out sparked a global debate on the 'spirit of the game', with critics examining Australia's strategy and the means by which they took the wicket. Bairstow’s dismissal, which was undeniably a pivotal point in the game, cast a pall on England's chase of 371, with the team eventually bowled out at 327 despite an impressive century from skipper Ben Stokes.


Watch: Jonny Bairstow run-out video

The dismissal and its ensuing furore sparked a global backlash with English supporters expressing their ire through uninhibited booing and denouncing the Australians as 'cheaters'.

However, amidst the hullabaloo, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has stood out with his starkly unimpressed stance. He responded to the critics by taking to Twitter to vent his annoyance at the alleged double standards prevalent in such debates.

"Hey sledgers... Does spirit of the game logic apply to you or is it just for Indians?" Gambhir voiced his discontent on Twitter, aiming his reproach directly at the English fans.

The underlying insinuation in Gambhir's tweet underscores the selective outrage he perceives among England supporters. It's rather amusing to note the silence accompanying controversial incidents involving the English team.

Case in point - the infamous accidental boundary off Ben Stokes' bat in the nerve-wracking ICC World Cup 2019 Final, or the incident involving Stuart Broad, who refused to leave the crease despite a clear edge to the slips against Australia in the 2013 Ashes series. In the face of such contradictions, Gambhir's tweet echoes the sentiments of many who feel that the 'spirit of the game' is sometimes a rather malleable concept.