Wriddhiman Saha-journalist controversy : “It’s your personal matter, handle it yourself” Bengal coach Arun Lal
Former Indian opener and current Bengal coach Arun Lal, thinks it’s a ‘non-starter’ as a controversy.
Ever since Indian wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha accused a senior correspondent of threatening him for not giving an interview, it has created a turbulence with many fans and some former cricketers condemning the journalist’s action. On 19th February 2022, hours after being dropped from the Indian Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka, Saha shared a screenshot Ever since Indian wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha accused a senior correspondent of threatening him for not giving an interview, it has created a furor with many fans and some former cricketers condemning the journalist’s action. Ever since Indian wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha accused a senior correspondent of threatening him for not giving an interview, it has created a furor with many fans and some former cricketers condemning the journalist’s action. On 19th February 2022, hours after being dropped from the Indian Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka, Saha shared a screenshot on Twitter, of his WhatsApp conversation with the journalist, questioning the sanctity of today’s journalism.
After all of my contributions to Indian cricket..this is what I face from a so called “Respected” journalist! This is where the journalism has gone. pic.twitter.com/woVyq1sOZX
— Wriddhiman Saha (@Wriddhipops) February 19, 2022
Later in the day, talk show host Boria Majumdar posted a nine-minute-long video on Twitter in which he identified himself as the hitherto unnamed journalist and accused Saha of manipulating and tampering with the screenshots. He also mentioned that his lawyers would serve the wicket-keeper with a defamation notice and requested the BCCI for a fair hearing.
There are always two sides to a story. @Wriddhipops has doctored, tampered screenshots of my WhatsApp chats which have damaged my reputation and credibility. I have requested the @BCCI for a fair hearing. My lawyers are serving @Wriddhipops a defamation notice. Let truth prevail. pic.twitter.com/XBsiFVpskl
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) March 5, 2022
The entire episode has raised a question – where should the line be drawn between a player’s privacy and a journalist’s hunt for exclusives? Former Indian opener and current Bengal coach Arun Lal, thinks it’s a ‘non-starter’ as a controversy. Lal said:
“Look, I have a different view on this. I think it’s a storm in the tea cup. If somebody has misbehaved with me, what has anybody else got to do with it? It’s between him and me.”
He further said:
“I think it’s silly to make anything out of it. It’s not a controversy at all. So what if he [the journalist] has misbehaved with you? So what? Who is he? What can he do? Why should it even matter? It’s a joke as far as I am concerned.”
He continued:
“These things happen in the heat of the moment – not only between a journalist and a player, but also between two players. A lot of things are said in a heated exchange. It doesn’t mean you need to constitute a committee [to look into the matter]. It’s your personal matter, so you handle it yourself.”
