After the row around India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja answering questions in Hindi during a media interaction in Melbourne on Saturday, former India pacer Irfan Pathan has voiced his opinion, saying that it's the player's choice to answer questions in a language he wants to.
The interaction was arranged by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the travelling media, while some of the Australian media outlets also came to attend it and were accommodated.
The Indian media asked their questions in Hindi and Jadeja replied in the same language, while an Australian journalist was also lined up for his turn to ask. However, because the Indian team bus was already getting late to leave the stadium, Jadeja left.
Some of the local journalists subsequently lost their cool at the BCCI media manager. The heated moments were captured by cameras, allegedly on purpose, and later aired on Australian channels.
Reacting to the unwarranted controversy, Irfan expressed his displeasure on X, and wrote: "What’s wrong if the player wants to give interview in Hindi?"
However, it remains unclear if the Australian media was unhappy about Jadeja answering questions in Hindi only or for not getting a chance to ask a question.
It was the second such instance involving local media, after Virat Kohli had expressed his displeasure when his arrival in Melbourne along with his family was allegedly captured by media cameras at the airport. An unhappy Kohli then told the present media that they shouldn't film his family without his permission as it is his private life.
The fourth Test of the five-match series begins at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day (December 26).
The series is currently level at 1-1.
