Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag, who is following all the action from Indian athletes at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, lashed out on the biased and poor umpiring in the semi-final of the women’s hockey competition between India and Australia. With the scores tied 1-1, the teams into a penalty shootout. While India failed to shoot even one goal in 3 attempts into the nets, Australia managed to score on all 3 occasions. But the semi-final end with a stroke of controversy as the first player from Australia to take the penalty, Ambrosia Malone, missed to score with Indian captain Savita saving it brilliantly. However, the referees asked her to take the shot again as the official who was handling the clock, didn’t start the timer, in time.
India coach Janneke Schopman showed her displeasure at the event and said that even when Australia didn’t complain, they allowed the second shot. She said: “I just don’t understand. Australia weren’t complaining… I don’t think even the ons didn’t take the drama fficials understood what happened… it’s not an excuse but that didn’t help us for sure.”
The social media is currently abuzz with tweets which are pointing towards biased umpiring, some even saying that Australians have a long history of ‘cheating’ in sport. Sehwag brought the cricketing angle to it, saying that Aussies have done this for a long time in cricket until India became a superpower in the sport and soon ‘all clocks will start on time’ in hockey too.
Sehwag wrote: “Penalty miss hua Australia se and the Umpire says, Sorry Clock start nahi hua. Such biasedness used to happen in cricket as well earlier till we became a superpower, Hockey mein bhi hum jald banenge and all clocks will start on time. Proud of our girls.”
Indian women’s hockey team will now play for bronze medal match but it was the gold medal that they were eyeing and missed out on it despite a good show vs the Aussies who had not conceded a single goal in this tournament till they met Indians.
