Indian spinner Ravindra Jadeja became the center of controversy after an Australian journalist accused him of refusing to answer questions in English during a press conference at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. The incident occurred after India's first practice session at the MCG. After Jadeja wrapped up the session and prepared to return to practice, one Australian journalist grew frustrated and voiced his displeasure at the situation.
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When an Australian reporter demanded a question in English, the Indian team's media manager clarified that the session was primarily organised for Indian journalists, but the Australian reporter appeared unwilling to accept the explanation. The situation escalated when the reporter began to lash out at the India team’s media manager. “Can we get one in English?. What's the point we didn't have one question in English..." the Australian journalist said. The manager responded, “Sorry, we don’t have time now. You can see the team bus is waiting.” The Australian journalist continued to express dissatisfaction. That's hopeless it's disorganised and hopeless," Australian journalist said.
One Indian journalist present at the scene noted that several Indian reporters also missed the chance to ask questions but did not cause a scene or argue. The reporter added that while frustrations were expressed, the Australian journalists' reaction was excessive. "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," Indian reporter said as quoted by India Today. "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," he added.
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This is not the first instance of friction between Indian players and the Australian press. Earlier in the series, Virat Kohli confronted the media for allegedly invading his privacy at Melbourne airport. Channel 7 cameras, initially covering Australian pacer Scott Boland, shifted their focus to Kohli and his family. Kohli intervened, requesting respect for his personal space. In a video that went viral, Kohli said, "With my kids, I need some privacy. You just can’t film without asking me." The issue was resolved after assurances that his children were not filmed.
In the same press conference, Jadeja spoke about his longtime teammate Ravichandran Ashwin, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket. Jadeja recalled their frequent exchanges, where they would plan strategies and discuss how to bowl to certain batters. He described Ashwin as his on-field mentor and said he would miss their discussions about match conditions and tactics. Jadeja expressed confidence that Indian cricket had the depth to fill Ashwin's shoes, adding that while no one could replace Ashwin completely, the team would move forward and find suitable replacements.
India won the first Test in Perth by 295 runs, but Australia leveled the series in Adelaide.