It’s more like those Balaji Telefilms soaps on the tube. New characters come and go, the old fellows walk in back again, and the story moves on endlessly. Much similar to what this Indian team has been facing over the last year or so as the ICC’s Elite umpires continue to dole out appalling decisions.

The 61-year-old Steve Bucknor obviously tops the list with the maximum number of faulty decisions against India while a close second is Asoka De Silva, whom the Indians have named Shocker de Silva.

India have faced the brunt of all wrong decisions through 2007-08 from leading umpires, including Simon Taufel, Aleem Dar, Rudi Keortzen, Billy Bowden, Asad Rauf, Peter Hartley, Ian Gould, Ian Howell, Mark Benson, and of course Bucknor. It’s a new record in itself, but one that the team isn’t enjoying.

Consider this:

• Billy Bowden ruled out Yuvraj Singh and Anil Kumble wrongly in the Melbourne Test

• Aleem Dar gave two decisions in the seventh and final ODI in England that broke the back of India’s batting

• Asad Rauf had a bad patch in India’s home series against Australia when he failed to locate a big no-ball from Brett Lee that dismissed MS Dhoni in the last game.

• Hartley denied Ramesh Powar a caught-behind appeal against Owais Shah in the 6th ODI in England

• Gould gave Tendulkar out on 92 in the Bristol one-dayer

• Howell ruled Sourav Ganguly lbw when there was a big inside edge in the third Test against England

... contd.