Jasprit Bumrah called a 'primate' by commentator Isa Guha as India-Australia Test series witnesses another controversy

An India-Australia Test series appears incomplete without a bit of controversy. After the heated exchange between Travis Head and Mohammed Siraj in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide that became a huge talking point on social media and resulted in the latter copping a fine , the spotlight fell on cricketer-turned-commentator Isa Guha for her racially sensitive remark on India pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

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The incident took place on Sunday, on the second day of the third Test between India and Australia at The Gabba. Former England women’s pacer Guha was on commentary duty alongside ex-Australian pacer Brett Lee on Fox Cricket when she referred to Bumrah as an “MVP” – expanding it to “Most Valuable Primate” instead of “Most Valuable Player” in the same sentence.

“Bumrah, today: five overs, 2-4. So, that’s the tone, and that’s what you want from the ex-skipper,” Lee said during the morning session on Sunday.

To which Guha, who is of Indian descent herself, replied, “Well, he’s the MVP isn’t he? Most Valuable Primate, Jasprit Bumrah.”

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Guha’s comment did not go unnoticed on social media. While a majority of netizens accused her of being racist towards Bumrah despite being of the same ancestry as the India Test vice-captain, some others felt that she was perhaps misunderstood, and did not mean offence.

The “primate” remark brought back memories of the infamous ‘Monkeygate’ scandal during India’s 2007-08 tour of Australia. Indian spin legend Harbhajan Singh was accused of calling late Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds a “monkey” during the second Test in Sydney, even though the bowler and the rest of the Indian team vehemently denied the accusations.

India, led by Anil Kumble at the time, later threatened to pull out of the remainder of the tour after Harbhajan was slapped with a three-match ban following a hearing conducted by match referee Mike Procter. The visiting team’s protest, and a subsequent appeal with the ICC, however, resulted in Harbhajan’s ban getting overturned and being downgraded to a fine.

The incident is among the biggest controversies in cricket history, one that had even affected diplomatic relations between the two nations.