The Baggy Green is amongst the most respected and distinct identities in international cricket, but this Australian team has shown its true colours. The team stayed in the dressing room very late in the night, waiting for their skipper and other mates to return from the Harbhajan Singh hearing, and partied long after their hard-fought win in the the second Test here. The Indian team, though, is clear that the Australians cheated to win.

“Only one team played in the spirit of the game, that’s all I can say.” Anil Kumble made this subtle, yet scathing attack against the Australians’ unsporting attitude by repeating the same line that Bill Woodfull, the former Australian skipper used in the 1932-33 Bodyline series against England.

Skipper Ricky Ponting led the way in on that front too. Ponting’s appeals on the field and his strong defence of his team’s approach clearly suggest that the Australian skipper, who sportingly denied taking a catch of Rahul Dravid on Day Two, was a mere aberration from his normal self.

Today, Ponting claimed a catch of Dhoni when he had clearly grounded the ball, though thankfully it was adjudged not out by the umpire as it had not hit the bat. This was in blatant violation to the verbal deal accepted from either skipper to be honest to the umpires, who would refer to them first in case of doubt.

“There’s no way I grounded that ball. If you’re actually questioning my integrity in the game, then you shouldn’t be standing there. You know what I did in the first innings. Doesn’t that explain the way I play the game?” asked Ponting.

... contd.