Gambhir banned for 1 Test, to appeal against it

“India opener Gautam Gambhir has received a one Test ban after being found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the third Test against Australia in New Delhi,” the ICC said in a statement after Match Referee Chris Broad imposed the maximum punishment for the offence.

The stylish left-hander has scored the maximum runs in the last five innings against Australia with a century and a 67 in Mohali and a double century here. So far he has scored 427 runs.

Gambhir had elbowed Watson while taking a run on the opening day of the ongoing match after a heated exchange with the Aussie all-rounder.

The Indian met match referee Chris Broad this morning before the start of third day’s play when he was informed of the penalty.

“The decision to find Gambhir guilty of a level 2 offence is indicative of the fact that any degree of physical contact is unacceptable,” said Broad who decided not to be lenient by giving a lesser penalty of a fine of between 50 and 100 per cent of the player’s match fee. “For Level 2 offences, the concerned players have the right to appeal against the adjudicator’s decision within 24 hours of notification of the decision. Accordingly, Mr. Gambhir will be lodging an appeal,” BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said in a press release.

The hearing had been adjourned last evening to allow the match referee to review the evidence. The opener was charged under Rule C1 of the Code (Level 2) which states that “players shall at all times conduct play within the spirit of the game.”

Watson was yesterday found guilty of “verbally engaging” with Gambhir “in a manner that was not in keeping with the Spirit of Cricket” and fined 10 per cent of his match fee. Broad said Gambhir could have been charged under a stronger code considering his past involvement in a similar run-in with Pakistani Shahid Afridi which resulted in a heavy fine.

But a lighter charge and sentence were imposed on him after umpires Billy Bowden and Aleem Dar highlighted the provocation by Watson.

“Had Gambhir been charged with and found guilty of a charge under 2.4, due to his previous offence, I would have been obliged to impose a minimum penalty of a two-Test match ban. In the view of the umpires, the facts of this case – the lightness of the physical conduct and the element of provocation – would not justify such a penalty,” he added.

Broad said Gambhir’s punishment was decided after taking into account his past disciplinary record. “The ICC has repeatedly told the players that deliberate physical contact between players will not be tolerated. I have also taken into account the previous offences of Gambhir and therefore, I am satisfied that the penalty imposed is an appropriate outcome in the circumstances of this matter. I hope Mr Gambhir will learn from this,” he said.

Present at the hearing was Gambhir himself, Broad, umpires Bowden and Dar, third umpire Suresh Shastri and fourth umpire Sameer Bandekar, India coach Gary Kirsten and captain Anil Kumble.

Ex-players, experts say ban justified

The one-Test ban imposed on Gautam Gambhir evoked a mixed reaction from former cricketers with some of them describing the punishment as “harsh” while others justifying it, saying offences related to physical contact need to be dealt with strictly.

While Mohinder Amarnath felt the ban was harsh, others like Ravi Shastri, Ian Chappell and Saba Karim said it was perfectly justifiable.

Gambhir elbowed Watson after an angry exchange of words on the opening day of the ongoing third Test against Australia in Delhi and later went on to insist in a press conference that it was an accidental run-in.

However, when called for a hearing by match referee Chris Broad, Gambhir pleaded guilty to the charges. “It is perfectly justified because he is a young chap and he should be given a rap on the knuckles at the right time,” said former captain Ravi Shastri favouring the ban that will be challenged by Gambhir in an appeal.

“It should not happen that he does such a thing in a World Cup and then gets banned for the final,” he added. Former Australian captain Ian Chappell agreed and said that “the ban is justified because cricket is not a contact sport.”

Noted cricket writer and former county player Peter Roebuck hoped the punishment would act as a deterrent for Gambhir in future.

“I think it was the right decision because in cricket there is no place for physical abuse. I hope he will learn his lesson by such a decision at the right time,” he said.

Former India wicket-keeper Saba Karim said the ban might seem harsh in isolation but perfectly alright if one takes into account Gambhir’s past record, which includes a similar run-in with Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi last year.

“If you look at it in isolation, it is a harsh decision for him. But if you remember, Gambhir had also barged into Afridi in a match in Kanpur. Two incidents put together, I think the match referee should have given him this punishment.

However, former India player Mohinder Amarnath did not subscribe to the view and said the ban was a tad too harsh considering that Watson had provoked Gambhir with his verbal assault.

“I think it is slightly harsh. I don’t know what Watson said to him which provoked him to do such a thing,” he said. The ban, if not overturned, rules Gambhir out of the fourth and final Test against Australia starting November 6 in Nagpur.