Former England cricketer Isa Guha, on Sunday, came under fire after she made a racially sensitive statement on Jasprit Bumrah during commentary on Day 2 of the third Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia at the Gabba. The statement was made shortly after Bumrah got India off to a stunning start in the first innings with two quick wickets.
The India fast bowler has been the cynosure of the team’s campaign so far in the series. He had picked up a five-wicket haul in India’s record 295-run win in Perth, while leading the side in Rohit Sharma’s absence. Bumrah as also the stand-out performer for India in an otherwise forgettable Adelaide pink ball Test. And on Sunday, he picked up his 12th career five-wicket haul amid centuries from Travis Head and Steve Smith.
Speaking Fox Cricket about the opening session of Day 2, where Bumrah picked up two quick wickets in the first half hour of play, Australia legend Brett Lee was full of praise for the Indian vice-captain.
“Bumrah, today: five overs, 2-4. So, that’s the tone, and that’s what you want from the ex-skipper,” Lee said.
However, in response to the statement, Guha made an eyebrow-raising remark as he called Bumrah a “primate”.
She added: “Well, he’s the MVP, isn’t he? Most valuable primate, Jasprit Bumrah.
“He is the one that’s going to do all the talking for India, and why so much focus was on him in the build-up to this Test match, and whether he would be fit.”
‘Monkeygate!’
Besides the choice of words, the larger reason behind the comment sparking anger among fans on social media, who called out Guha, is the infamous 2008 incident in Sydney. Harbhajan Singh, a veteran Indian off-spinner, was accused by the Australian team of racially abusing late Aussie allrounder Andrew Symonds by calling him a “monkey” during the 2008 Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Harbhajan was served a three-match suspension amid speculations that India’s ongoing tour could be cancelled. However, following an appeal to the ICC, the ban was lifted. The pair later reconciled when they shared the dressing room for Mumbai Indians during IPL 2011, but Symonds often admitted that the comment had hurt him deeply.
Hence, Guha was shown no mercy by fans on social media. Here are some of the reactions…
Bumrah eventually completed a second five-wicket haul in the series, where he picked up 17 wickets, the most by a bowler, at 12.17. Overall, he took his tally to 190 wickets in his career at just 19.82.
