Bangladesh Women had a historic day in Mirpur on Saturday, as they managed to tie the third and final ODI against India, resulting in a 1-1 series draw, a remarkable achievement in their cricketing history. However, amidst the celebrations, the players were left with a bitter taste due to umpiring controversies. The pivotal moment came when Harmanpreet Kaur was controversially dismissed by Nahida Akter during the 34th over of the second innings.
Facing Akter’s delivery, Kaur attempted a sweep but missed the ball, and it hit her front pad before being caught at slip. Akter celebrated the wicket, and the umpire wasted no time in raising his finger. In frustration, Kaur reacted strongly, venting her emotions by aggressively breaking the stumps with her bat—an unsportsmanlike conduct that marred the game’s spirit. Unaware that she was given out caught, she argued with the umpire while walking off the field.
The dismissal of Kaur triggered India’s collapse from 160/4 to 225 all out, and the final wicket of Meghna Singh also led to further disputes as she contested the caught-behind decision. Earlier in the game, opener Yastika Bhatia had also shown displeasure before walking off when given LBW, adding to the controversy.
In the post-match presentation, Kaur criticized the umpiring, expressing her disappointment with the decisions made during the game. She emphasized that there was a lot to learn from the match and stated that they need to be prepared for such umpiring in future matches in Bangladesh.
Just catching up on this.
— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) July 23, 2023
Disgraceful behaviour from India's captain, Harmanpreet Kaur.
Can't believe she only lost 50 per cent of her match fee for this act. pic.twitter.com/vKZASZlitc
"I mentioned earlier some pathetic umpiring was done and we are really disappointed"
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) July 22, 2023
~ Harmanpreet Kaur in the post-match presentation #CricketTwitter #BANvIND pic.twitter.com/ytdJP13Z84
The series of incidents drew mixed reactions on social media, with some supporting Kaur’s strong words while others criticized her behavior.