Indian players in pub brawl

After T20 rout, coach Kirsten questions teams fitness, commitment

Some of the Indian fans, who had come from the US and the UK to support the team, reportedly hurled abuses at Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan as they were returning to the team hotel after dinner along with Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh.

Incensed by the comments, the two pacemen objected to the fans’ behaviour, and things took an ugly turn. According to eyewitnesses, Nehra left the famous pub with a torn shirt even as Yuvraj and Rohit intervened to end the scuffle. The manager of the pub, too, confirmed that the incident had taken place. Yuvraj, however, denied any incident. “There was no fight, not even an argument,” the left-handed batsman wrote on his Twitter page, asking the media not to “make up stories.”

Already under fire for their dismal performance — which skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni attributed to latenight IPL parties — coach Gary Kirsten reportedly questioned the commitment, discipline and fitness levels of some of the players in the side.

What could be more damning for the team is Kirsten’s reported assessment of its performance in the Caribbean and players’ lack of fitness. After the team’s elimination, Kirsten is learnt to have met some senior players individually before getting the rest of the team together for a meeting where he asked a few of them to get their act together as far as fitness is concerned.

Fitness evaluation of some players, including Yuvraj, Zaheer and Rohit, showed them to be overweight; a few others were found unfit. According to sources, some players were also averse to disciplinary codes of conduct like curfew and were happy with fines being imposed for breaking the rules.

Dhoni had said a couple of days ago that it was the responsibility of the players to look after their bodies while referring to IPL parties.

“If you are playing late night matches (in IPL) and attending parties, coming back late in the night and travelling the next day, it takes a toll on your body. It’s up to individuals to take care of their respective bodies,” he had said.

Edit: How is that?

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