Harbhajan apologises for Ravana act

Under attack for taking part in a TV reality show dressed as mythological character Ravan, cricketer Harbhajan Singh apologised and vowed “never to do anything that could hurt religious sentiments of any community”.

"I apologise if my actions have hurt anybody. It was not my intention to hurt sentiments of anyone which includes members of my own community," the off-spinner told reporters in Chandigarh.

"It will be my sincere endeavour not to repeat such things in future," said Singh, currently playing in the first Test match against Australia at Mohali.

Fitness worries and weather take centrestage

After the attritional cricket in Bangalore, where one team dominated much of the contest and the other refused to give in, Mohali - where the pitch isn't as slow as Bangalore - holds the prospect of a more lively encounter. Both teams will, however, need to rework their plans of attack to land the first punch in the series.

The challenge for Australia will be not only to get into a commanding position against India, like they did in Bangalore, but also to close out the match, which they failed to do in the first Test. All of their batsmen, however, with the exceptions of Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke, made runs: Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey scored maiden Test centuries in India, while Shane Watson and Brad Haddin allayed concerns about an untested lower-middle order. Their fast bowlers, Mitchell Johnson and Watson in particular, showed that inexperience in Indian conditions was not a hurdle that couldn't be cleared.

Although India's batsmen played out the fifth day to secure a draw in Bangalore, the match was really saved on the third evening because of plucky batting from Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan. Their batting, however, isn't a major worry since most batsmen made contributions at some stage of the Test. India's biggest problem is the fitness of their captain Anil Kumble. He had a poor match in Bangalore, where he bowled 51 overs without a wicket, and struggled with a shoulder injury. He bowled during an indoor net session on Thursday but will decide on his participation in the Test only on the morning of the match.

The build-up to the first Test in Bangalore was unusually quiet. By the end of the match, however, tensions were simmering: Zaheer said the Australians were defensive; Ponting brushed aside the comments; and Kumble was writing indignant columns in response to media speculation about his future. Normal service, it seems, has been resumed.

Another on-field row can end Bhajji's career: Bindra

Indian Premier League (IPL) governing board member I S Bindra has cautioned off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to watch his on-field behaviour after the slapping row with S Sreesanth as another spat with fellow players could spell the end of his career.

"There is no question for any repetition, we cannot have tolerance of any repeat actions of this nature," Bindra told The Herald.

"Once punished for such an offence, a player cannot make the same indiscretion again," he added.

Harbhajan was banned from this edition of the IPL for slapping India teammate S Sreesanth and Bindra said he has been left deeply disappointed by the off-spinner considering that he had been urged to control his temper after the racism row in Australia.

"He has disappointed all of us. I personally warned him after Australia, I told him he needed to be all the more careful because 'you are under watch, you are under probation'," he recalled.

"He has had problems on a couple of occasions in the past. He was warned by the association that if he doesn't listen to the advice then next is a hard knock on his knuckles," he added.

The slap-gate, as it has come to be described, has cost the tweaker almost Rs. 3 crore in match fee and his woes do not end at that as he is still awaiting the BCCI disciplinary committee verdict on the matter.

Bindra said the BCCI and IPL's tough stance on the matter showed that Indian cricket was not willing to take a lenient view of the misconduct by its players.

"People have accused the board of being soft, but this shows we're not trying to sweep things under the carpet," he said.

The former BCCI chief said it was unfair to compare the racism row in Australia with the slapping incident in IPL as Harbhajan's conduct was markedly different in both cases.

"As for the case in Australia, the overwhelming view from the Indian team was that he was not guilty of what he was accused, and therefore we supported him," he explained.

"On this occasion there was no question he was guilty, and we have punished him. We cannot mix the two incidents, we will punish players if they are guilty," he added.

Australia disappointed with handling of case - Ponting

Ricky Ponting says some of the Australia players are disappointed that Harbhajan Singh's penalty over the incident with Andrew Symonds in the Sydney Test was downgraded to 50% of his match fee. However, Ponting believes it is time for Australia and India to move past the racism saga.

Justice John Hansen said in his judgement that database and human errors meant a previous offence - Harbhajan was fined 75% of his match fee and give a one-Test suspended sentence in 2001 - was not revealed to the assisting counsel at the time of sentencing. Ponting said the appeal, which was heard on Tuesday, provided the players with closure but it had not been handled as well as possible.

"The judge has made it pretty clear today that even he was a bit disappointed with the severity, or non-severity, of his findings, basically because he wasn't handed some pretty vital and important information," Ponting said. "There's no doubt that there'd be a few players in the Australian dressing-room that would be a little bit disappointed with the outcome as well, knowing what we now know.

"I'm sure that Cricket Australia will get to the bottom of that. It's not up to me or up to the players. The case is closed, it can't ever be reopened. Cricket Australia will take it up with the appropriate people and let's hope that sort of stuff doesn't slip through the net again."

Ponting's comments were similar to those that came earlier in the day from Cricket Australia's chief executive James Sutherland, who said he was disappointed Hansen was not given all the facts. "The judge's decision is final, we accept that, there was an unfortunate error in circumstances that led to him not having all the facts in front of him at that time, but that's gone," Sutherland said.

Harbhajan was accused of calling Symonds a "monkey" - Symonds had been subjected to monkey chants from spectators during Australia's ODI tour of India in October - but Hansen said Symonds could not be certain if Harbhajan had used the word. Hansen also criticised Symonds' part in the verbal exchange and Ponting hoped the case did not affect Symonds' reputation.

"Any sort of character assassination on Andrew Symonds would be completely unfair," Ponting said. "He's someone who doesn't want this stuff happening, it's the second time with what he had to go through in India as well, and it's the last thing in the world he wants."

However, Sutherland said Cricket Australia would discuss the judgement with Symonds and the rest of his team-mates. "No doubt with Andrew, as there with many other people, some things for him toe reflect on," Sutherland said. "We will take the opportunity to talk at the right time to Andrew and other players and the players as a group about some of the circumstances and some of the things that are reported in the judgement."

Ponting and Sutherland were speaking in Melbourne ahead of Friday's Twenty20 international between Australia and India, and Ponting said he was looking forward to again focusing on the cricket instead of off-field issues. "It has taken a toll on [Symonds] and it's taken a toll on me over the last few weeks," Ponting said.

I'm not Bhajji's bunny, thunders Ponting

Ricky Ponting may have fallen to the belligerent off-spinner six times in seven Tests but the Australian captain asserted he is not Harbhajan Singh's bunny and is itching to settle scores in the next Test in Sydney.

Ponting, who fell to the spinner in the second innings of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, called it just an aberration and gave ample hint that he would do everything to set records right.

"We've got a good little battle on our hands," Ponting said.

"I'm actually looking forward to Sydney now, especially after he said some of the stuff he has about getting me out. He must have a pretty short memory," he was quoted as saying by The Australian.

For the record, Harbhajan removed Ponting on all five occasions in the 2001 series, which included three ducks.

Though Ponting was by and large unperturbed in the next two series, in India and Australia, Harbhajan once again threatens to be his bugbear when the offie scalped him in the second innings at the MCG.

Ponting admitted Harbhajan has had the better of their exchanges in Test cricket but stressed he had paid the bowler back in One-Dayers.

Source : http://www.cricketnext.com/