New Delhi: What started as a routine press conference became contentious when Australian media sought a quote in English from Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja during a session arranged for the travelling Indian press. Jadeja, who had already spent time with the Indian media, was running late as the team bus was ready to depart from the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and head back to the hotel. The Australian journalists expressed displeasure when the media manager informed them that Jadeja would not be providing an English quote.
This is how the exchange between the Australian media and the Team India manager unfolded:
Australian media: One question in English?
Media manager: Sorry, we don’t have time now. You can see the team bus is waiting.
Aussie media: Can’t we take one question in English?
Media Manager: This was organised mainly for the travelling Indian media.
Aussie media: The organisation is hopeless.
An Indian journalist, one of the few at the press conference, mentioned that it wasn’t only the Australian media, but also some Indian reporters who were unable to ask questions due to time limitations. However, unlike the Australian journalists, they did not challenge the media manager.
“I was present there, and many Indian touring journalists didn’t get the opportunity to ask questions due to time constraints. However, after the press conference ended, a few Australian journalists got annoyed and argued with the Indian team’s media manager. They misbehaved as well, which was uncalled for. I cover press conferences regularly, and even during Australian press conferences, many Indian journalists don’t get the chance to ask questions due to time shortages, but we have never argued or misbehaved,” one of the Indian reporters told India Today.
The Australian media is often seen as the unofficial 12th man of their cricket team, frequently shaping the narrative to benefit their side. This has been evident in events like the ‘monkeygate’ scandal and controversial umpire decisions. A recent example was the criticism of Mohammed Siraj for giving Travis Head a send-off. Additionally, there was the incident where Virat Kohli had a confrontation with an Australian journalist, as the Indian batsman objected to media members photographing and recording his children at the airport.
