Harmanpreet Kaur’s outburst in the third and final ODI of the series against Bangladesh in Dhaka has put Team India’s campaign at the 2023 Asian Games in jeopardy. The Indian captain is set to face stern action from the ICC for his conduct on the field during that match and will be banned from at least two international matches later in the post-match presentation.
Harmanpreet was furious with umpire Tanveer Ahmed’s decision to dismiss him during India’s chase, smashing the stumps with his bat before venting to the umpire on his way to the dug-out. Later in the post-match presentation, she questioned the standard of umpiring in the match, calling it “pathetic”.
According to a report Cricbuzz, Harmanpreet’s action could lead to a maximum of four demerit points, including three for damaging equipment and one for publicly criticizing a match official. According to the ICC’s rules, a player accumulating four or more demerit points within a 24-month period will lead to an outright suspension from one Test, two ODIs or two T20Is.
As for India, their next international match will be part of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8. Based on India’s ranking in ODIs, they have already entered the quarters. Harmanpreet’s two-match ban could therefore put India in jeopardy as they are likely to miss the quarters and semis and appear only in the finals, where the team could advance to the gold-medal match.
The ICC is yet to make an official announcement about the ban, but this is the second time in Harmanpreet’s career that he has been handed a demerit point after losing to teammate Deepti Sharma in the 2017 ODI World Cup match against Australia. She was found guilty of a Level 1 felony. Meanwhile, another Indian player who has been found guilty twice for violating the code of conduct is Veda Krishnamurthy.