Sachin Tendulkar Wants Fans to Give Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft Some Space Following Their ban
Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir also feel sad for Steve Smith.
A day after Sachin Tendulkar said right decision has been taken regarding the ban of Australian trio, Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, the former cricketer has now urged fans to give them some space. “They are regretting and hurting and will have to live with the consequences of their act. Spare a thought for their families as they have much to endure along with the players. Time for all of us to take a step back and give them some space,” Tendulkar wrote on Twitter. This comes after Smith’s emotional press conference after the Australian cricketer arrived in the country.
Smith, who has been handed a one-year ban by Cricket Australia (CA), broke down during the press conference and apologised to fans while admitting that his leadership failed. "It was a failure of leadership - my leadership. I'll do everything I can to make up for my mistake. Cricket is the greatest game in the world. It's been my life and I hope it will be again," Smith said while addressing the media in Sydney.
Not just Tendulkar, but Indian opener and Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma also took to Twitter and said that Smith and Warner are ‘great players” and the ball-tampering incident shouldn’t define them. “The video of Steve Smith being escorted at the airport and his most recent press conference resonated with me. The spirit of the game is of utmost importance there’s no denying that. They made a mistake and they accepted it,” Rohit posted on Twitter.
“It would be unfair of me to sit her and question the boards decision but they are great players and I don’t think this should define them,” the MI skipper added.
Out-of-favour Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir also expressed his vows after Smith’s emotionaly charged presser. “Feel sorry for @stevesmith49 dad (in pic) other family members. Hope media n Aussie public go easy on them as families can be soft targets. More than d ban living wid this feeling of being called a cheat is a bigger punishment,” Gambhir wrote in one of his tweets.
South African captain Faf du Plessis also said that as per him the 12-month ban was "harsh". Faf also admitted that he feels "very sorry" for Smith and had texted him following the ball-tampering scandal.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 30, 2018 12:23 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).