'This is unprecedented, the senior-most player abusing the senior-most person in the dressing room.'
Former India batsman and Delhi captain Gautam Gambhir on Monday was accused of abusing Delhi coach K P Bhaskar in the dressing room at the end of the Vijay Hazare cricket tournament in Bhubaneswar.
Former Delhi captain Bhaskar, who is in his first season as coach, was reportedly targeted with personal insults as Gambhir, 35, used foul and threatening language, said a report in The Hindu on Tuesday.
"The unfortunate incident here obviously marks a new low in Delhi cricket and demands a disciplinary inquiry from the DDCA and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as well.
"Is Gambhir not supposed to be a role model being a World Cup winner?" a former Delhi star, who witnessed the entire episode, told The Hindu.
The reason for Gambhir's outburst is not known, but it is believed that the former India opener was peeved at the appointment of Bhaskar as the Delhi coach.
In the past Gambhir has also had a series of spats with senior cricketers, including Chetan Chauhan, Hari Gidwani and Venkat Sundaram.
The report further states that Gambhir, who was recently sacked as Delhi captain, reportedly mocked Bhaskar’s cricket credentials -- 95 First Class matches and an aggregate of 5,443 runs -- and also targetted his son, Ruushil Bhaskar, who played junior cricket for Delhi and Haryana.
"Normally we all shake hands at the end of the last match of the season. This is unprecedented, the senior-most player abusing the senior-most person in the dressing room," a Delhi veteran told the newspaper.
Gambhir made a comeback to the Indian team last year but he failed in both innings of the first Test against England in Rajkot and was dropped as KL Rahul was brought back in his place.
Image: Gautam Gambhir.
Photograph: BCCI