Two cricket captains have a go at each other in the heat of a battle during a match in the national championships. They nearly come to blows, only to be stopped by the umpire. Before that, one captain threatens to beat up his opposite number after play. The other captain wants a punch-up at the very moment. The game is brought to a halt and to disrepute at a venue whose turf has been graced by the greatest names in the game. After play, the two captains are summoned to the match referee’s room. Both get fined — the initiator more than the guy who played second fiddle in the drama. Matter closed. No ban, no explanation as to what exactly transpired on the field, no public condemnation from the parent body, nothing!

Meanwhile, the coach of the home team is quoted as saying that these things happen in a game involving passionate captains. The term ‘it isn’t cricket’ is just apt for incidents such as these, which involved Delhi’s Gautam Gambhir and Bengal’s Manoj Tiwary.