New Delhi - Television footage showing national coach Greg Chappell making a gesture with his middle finger to hostile cricket fans has triggered a furor in India.
Amid a barrage of critical slogans from Indian cricket fans blaming the coach for the ousting of former captain Sourav Ganguly from the squad, Chappell was caught by television cameras showing his finger from the team bus in the eastern city of Calcutta, news media reported on Saturday.
Chappell's gesture has drawn an angry response from Calcutta's politicians and other prominent personalities.
"Chappell fingers a row," said a front-page headline in the Hindustan Times newspaper, which also carried a picture showing a finger thrust out of the bus window that it said was Chappell's.
The newspaper said the controversy had taken the attention away from India's humiliating 10-wicket defeat by South Africa in Friday's limited-overs international.
Former Australia captain Chappell and Ganguly were involved in a public spat last month after an email from Chappell to the cricket board criticising the then-captain was leaked to the media .
Ganguly was later dropped from India's one-day team for 12 limited-overs internationals against Sri Lanka and South Africa. The last of these games will be played on Monday.
Ganguly also lost his Test captaincy for next month's series against Sri Lanka, but has been picked in the team for the opening match that begins on Friday.
Calcutta's Aakash Bangla television channel said Chappell made the finger gesture late on Thursday evening when the Indian team was returning from practice and several fans were hold slogans written in Bangla language that translated to "Down with Chappell."
The Times of India newspaper said Chappell's "finger salute" to the crowd ensured that Indian cricket's penchant for controversies would not die out.
"Indian fans might be a tad too emotional for Chappell's tastes, but they don't deserve such disrespect," said The Times of India.
"By his extravagantly tasteless gesture, the legendary Australian cricketer has virtually guaranteed that the debate would now be on him rather than the overtly sentimental crowd," the newspaper said.
Chappell was not available for comment on Saturday, but India cricket team spokesperson, M Baladitya, said the incident had been blown out of proportion.
"Chappell had injured his finger during practice and he said he was just attending to it, he did not gesture at anybody," Baladitya said. - Sapa-AP