Bangladesh Women captain Nigar Sultana has opened up on the sour episode involving her Indian counterpart Harmanpreet Kaur in their recent ODI series, revealing why she decided to walk away with her team at the post-match ceremony.

The ICC banned Harmanpreet for two matches in response to her behaviour in the third game: she first smashed the stumps with her bat following a contentious dismissal, remonstrating with the umpire, and later criticised the level of umpiring during the post-match presentation. According to an ESPNcricinfo report, she also shouted “bring the umpires too” when both teams came together for a photograph, before Sultana walked away with her team in protest.

In an interview with Rev Sportz, Sultana said that she would not have felt bad if Harmanpreet’s actions “had it been restricted to the field of play” after the game ended in a tie.

“Honestly speaking I would not have felt bad about it or felt disappointed [if it was just about her on-field antics],” Sultana said. “I would have told my players that it was all in the intensity of the moment, and it is better than all of us moved on from it. But what really disappointed me was that it was not restricted to the field of play.

“Let me tell you something. For my players too, Harmanpreet is a legend of the game. They too look up to her. And when they came and said to me that how can a legend of her stature do this to us, I felt sad and disappointed. That’s what has pained me the most.”

Sultana said that she expected Harmanpreet and Smriti Mandhana to reach out to the Bangladesh players and applaud them after the game, instead of saying “disrespectful and hurtful” things, which prompted her to end the episode and walk away.

“To tell you the truth, I had felt that whatever may have happened earlier, Harmanpreet and Smriti would walk up to my girls and give them a pat on their back after the match was over, and tell them ‘well played’,” Sultana said. “Coming from players of their calibre and stature, it would have meant the world for our girls. I have seen legends like MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli do this after a game is over. I am sure you have seen this happen after many IPL games or even international games.

“When it did not happen, and she said things which were disrespectful and hurtful during the prize giving, I decided to walk away with my team. I did not want to stay there anymore, and add to the occasion. Someone had to end it, and by walking away, I did so. We shouldn’t let unpleasant things go on, and by walking away, I tried to put an end to things.”

Just in: Harmanpreet Kaur has been suspended for India’s next two international matches and fined 75 percent of her match fees for smashing the stumps and showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during the third ODI against Bangladesh. pic.twitter.com/yLQqyw4V5y

— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) July 25, 2023

Harmanpreet’s criticism of the umpiring closely followed her actions on the field, calling it “pathetic”, with Mandhana calling for a “neutral-umpiring system” in the press conference. After the game, Sultana should have said Harmanpreet “could have shown better manners”.

One week later, Sultana has asked why no questions were raised by India during the T20I series, which India won, suggesting that the Indian team wouldn’t have raised similar complaints if they had been on the winning side in the ODIs as well.

“The very same umpires officiated in the T20 series, which India won,” Sultana said. “In fact, that too was a very close series and I feel we should have done better in the second game and won it, but we did not. But that is not the point here. The moot point is the very same umpires officiated in the T20 series as well. There was not a single complaint from India. Is it because they had won the series?”

“As players, you are always taught that the umpires’ decision is final, and that we have to respect that. Let me also ask you this – had they won the final ODI, would they have raised the issue of umpiring or was it raised because they did not win the series, and they were disappointed and frustrated with the result?”

Sultana added that the series win could well turn out to be a “watershed moment” for the game in Bangladesh, and that forcing a tie in the third game “means a lot” for the team.