Five instances when sledging proved costly for teams

Sledging is part and parcel of the game. It is a tactic used by teams and players to get under the skin of opposition players. While these tactics sometimes work, it occasionally backfires as well. There have been instances when it has worked while there also have been instances when they don't.

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In this listicle, we have shortlisted five such instances where sledging hasn't worked. Some have proved so costly that the players have been fined while others have seen their team losing the game. Without further ado, let's have a look at these instances.

Five instances when sledging worked against the teams

Virat Kohli, Jonny Bairstow (Image Credit : Twitter)

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1. Virat Kohli vs Jonny Bairstow

The incident grabbed a lot of attention in the last few days. In the ongoing fifth Test between England and India, Kohli and Bairstow had a verbal spat. At the time, the Englishman was struggling with the bat. However, after the incident, the 2019 World Cup winner started playing his shots and reach his century.

Besides, he scored another century in the fourth innings. Thus, England went on to win the game. Hence, the Indian fans might wonder what if the former India skipper had avoided sledging.

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Shannon Gabriel, Joe Root (Image Credit : Twitter)

2. Shannon Gabriel vs Joe Root

During a 2019 Test match between the West Indies and England, Root smiled at Gabriel. To which, the pacer asked whether the Englishman is interested in boys. In reply, the former England skipper said “There is nothing wrong with being gay.”

The incident was caught on stumps mic and proved costly for the Windies on two counts. Firstly, they lost the game and second, he was banned for four international games which included the five-match ODI series that followed after. 

Aamir Sohail, Venkatesh Iyer (Image Credit : Twitter)

3. Aamir Sohail vs Venkatesh Prasad

This incident is still talked about among Indian cricket fans from the 90s. Aamir Sohail hit a boundary to Prasad and gestured the latter to pick the ball. On the very next delivery, Prasad managed to uproot the stumps which was also a turning point of the game.

The team was in a great position with 113/2 on the board, chasing 288. However, after the wicket, the team kept losing regular wickets and eventually lost the game by 39 runs and were eliminated from the World Cup. 

Virat Kohli, Kesrick Williams (Image Credit : Twitter)

4. Kesrick Williams vs Virat Kohli

In 2017, West Indies pacer Williams dismissed Kohli in one-off T20I in the Caribbean. After this, the pacer celebrated brought his 'notebook celebration'. The incident didn't had any impact on the game for the Maroon Brigade.

However, two years later when they arrived in India, the former Indian skipper remembered this and waited to give it back. After hitting the bowler for a few runs in one over, the right-hander bought out the celebration. 

Andrew Flintoff, Yuvraj Singh (Image Credit ; Twitter)

5. Andrew Flintoff vs Yuvraj Singh

The incident needs no introduction. As a lot of fans remember, Flintoff tried to get under the skin of Yuvraj Singh. However, the Englishman didn't know that his teammate Stuart Broad would have to pay the price. After this, Singh went on to hit six sixes against Broad which is fondly remembered by Indian fans.

This over proved costly for the team as they went on to lose the game by 18 runs. Fans can only wonder what if the all-rounder didn't incite the two-time World Cup winner.