When VVS Laxman walked in to discuss the first day’s play with the media on Friday evening, there were audible groans — bowlers were the stars of the day, and the reporters were hoping to chat with Zaheer Khan.
Minutes later, leaving Laxman mid-sentence — he was answering a question in Hindi — one by one, the British journalists walked up to the table, picked up their voice recorders and walked out. Laxman and Rufus Rockey, the Indian team manager, looked bewildered but stayed on.
The Indian team management says that the least the local journalists could have done was to wait till Laxman had finished his answer and then excused themselves.
It is learnt that the Indians have made a verbal complaint to the Indian Cricket Board, and according to a team source, a “strong mail” has been despatched to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The crux of the complaint is that as the hosts, the ECB does not have someone to manage the media at press conferences.
“You simply can’t do this,” said a source in the team. “Even if they have to go off in a hurry, they should have the courtesy to let a man finish his answer.”
{{/usCountry}}“You simply can’t do this,” said a source in the team. “Even if they have to go off in a hurry, they should have the courtesy to let a man finish his answer.”
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