When it was Sheldon Cottrell’s turn to bat, he hit an eight-ball 10 with a four and a six. However, when he was sent back to the pavilion by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, Indian paceman Mohammed Shami mocked the West Indian’s march-and-salute celebration
Manchester: India trounced West Indies by 125 runs at the ICC World Cup 2019 on Thursday (June 27) to maintain their unbeaten record at the 10-team tournament. While there were plenty of talking points in the contest, there was one particular incident which seems to have divided the fans.
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Throughout the World Cup, West Indies’ left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell has unveiled his march-and-salute celebration whenever he took a wicket. And it was same during the match against India at Old Trafford in Manchester.
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Cottrell dismissed Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami as India were restricted to 268/7 in 50 overs. In reply, the Windies folded for 143.
When it was Cottrell’s turn to bat, he hit an eight-ball 10 with a four and a six. However, when he was sent back to the pavilion by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, Indian paceman Shami mocked the West Indian’s march-and-salute celebration.
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As Cottrell was heading back to the dressing room, Shami imitated Cottrell and he unveiled his trademark salute accompanied with a laugh. Captain Virat Kohli too was seen making fun of the West Indian’s salute.
While most of the fans supported Shami and Kohli, there were others who felt it was not right on the part of the duo. Some argued that Cottrell had trained with the Jamaican Army and he was paying tribute to the armed forces. Some felt that Shami had “insulted the Army”.
"It's a military-style salute. I'm a soldier by profession. Me saluting is just to show my respect to the Jamaica Defence Force," Cottrell had said in an intervieew to BBC.
During the match, Shami was outstanding with the ball as he finished with 4/16 in 6.2 overs. Jasprit Burmah too was excellent with two scalps. Chahal had two wickets while Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav had one success apiece.
India next face hosts England on Sunday (June 30) in Birmingham. It is a must-win game for the Eoin Morgan-led side as a loss is most likely to knock them out of the semi-final contention.
Mohammed Shami is the hero we all deserve pic.twitter.com/URWjcfHuUP
— Saranya Madina (@hireatoken)Its a shameful behavior and Armed forces anywhere in the world should be given due respect for the simple reason, they put their country's safety and security above all. Demeaning and mocking a recognizing says it all about the person indulging in such
— Nooneknowsmeinthisworld (@Nooneknowsmein1)I don't find it funny. Cottrell’s salute-and-march celebration is a tribute to his country’s armed forces. He had trained with the Jamaican Army for 6 months n had picked up his trademark move at that time. As we expect respect for Indian army we should respect others as well.
— Pushpa (@pushpa21042408)Cottrell is a soldier. He was doing that whenever he got wicket. Imo, no need to mock him
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