In a scathing attack on television commentators, speedster Javagal Srinath on Friday accused them for "inciting and instigating" the fans, which resulted in the extreme reactions back home in the wake of India's loss to Australia in a World Cup league match.
"I believe when the criticism from the commentators, may be the media, go beyond extreme, it could probably incite or instigate our emotional fans. We are really disappointed with what they spoke," Srinath said. "Some of the comments were really harsh on the players."
"We were shocked with a few incidents back home. Mohammed Kaif's home was stoned; (Rahul) Dravid's car was smashed. These things should not happen," he said.
Srinath said that too much was being read into the team's performance in New Zealand where the pitches were doctored to favour the home team.
"We cannot really read too much in the New Zealand show, as those who won the toss had the say. We did not let New Zealand win easily. People were really harsh on our batsmen. I don't know how much any batsman in the world could have survived (on those pitches). It was low-scoring throughout the series," Srinath said.
The veteran speedster said the New Zealand tour was long over and the team was in a much better frame of mind, especially after the win against Zimbabwe on Wednesday.
"Things are looking good from the New Zealand tour. We had one bad game against Australia but then they are playing at an altogether different level right now," he said.
Srinath said it was absolutely crucial that both bowling and batting clicked together for the team to be successful in the World Cup.
"A good performance results when batting and bowling work together. We have to make sure that we click at the right time," he said. "We cannot hope if we bowl well and not bat well. We have to peak at the right time."
Srinath said he was satisfied with his own performance also though he needed to work a bit on his batting. "I am getting my line and length right. There comes a time when experience becomes confidence. (But) I need to give more thought to my batting before it is too late. My batting against the West Indies (at home where he got some useful scores) cannot be taken too seriously," he said.
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