The two poster boys of a new, aggressive India: one slaps, the other bawls

The two poster boys of a new, aggressive India: one slaps, the other bawls

Deepak Narayanan

Posted online: Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 0032 hrs IST

NEW DELHI, APRIL 26
Andrew Symonds was at a net session in Mumbai, Matthew Hayden was battering the Kolkata attack in Chennai. Neither had anything to say on Friday night’s alleged slap spat between Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth, but both can be forgiven for feeling a little smug and having a nice, little laugh when news came of Harbhajan’s suspension this evening.

Together, the poster boys of the ‘new, young, aggressive India’ have put the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian Premier League (IPL) in an embarrassing position.

Harbhajan left Indian cricket red in the face with a slap that’s bound to be spoken about for a while and Sreesanth’s deluge of tears on live television has washed away any hopes the organisers had of keeping this a happy, sledge-free 45 days.

“We have issued a show-cause notice to Harbhajan, for which he has been given time till Monday evening to reply,” BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah had said after the Kings XI Punjab team lodged an official complaint against the off-spinner. Farokh Engineer, match-referee for the Mohali-Mumbai clash, has been appointed to adjudicate on the hearing. “We are not going to sweep things under the carpet. The complaint has to be carefully examined before any decision is made,” Engineer said.

Few are buying this. For, both Harbhajan and Sreesanth have been regulars at the match-referee’s office in international cricket, mostly for their over-the-top aggression on the field. But they’ve always been backed by the BCCI.

When the off-spinner was accused of making racist remarks against Symonds on the recent tour Down Under, the board threatened to call off the series unless all charges were dropped. “Allegations of racism against a member of our cricket team are not acceptable,” BCCI chief Sharad Pawar had announced in what had become a chorus of national outrage. “The BCCI has decided to give full support to Harbhajan and provide legal help to fight it out.”

The hearing ended with a favourable verdict after the off-spinner’s defence was based on a “mishearing” of the word “monkey.” A few days later, Matthew Hayden called him an “obnoxious little weed” on a radio show. With opinion stacked firmly against Hayden for the unprovoked attack, the BCCI decided not to step in, only saying that they hoped Cricket Australia would take appropriate action.

Earlier, after a particularly heated one-dayer in Cochin in 2007, when both Sreesanth and Harbhajan got involved in arguments with the Australian players, match-referee Chris Broad said that no one “would like to see a sterile game, but clearly there is a line. Whether that line was crossed or not we will decide later.”

Adam Gilchrist wasn’t impressed either. “I saw some really hard-fought cricket and there were comments between different players and that happens,” he said. “I also saw some things that I would not expect from my son Harrison in a backyard game of cricket, but we’ll move on.”

In 2006, in a Test match in Johannesburg, Sreesanth got a mouthful after being beaten by South African bowler Andre Nel. He smashed the next delivery for six before running down the wicket and breaking into a series of pelvic thrusts. During the 2007 Trent Bridge Test match, he was fined half his match fees for a shoulder-barge on English captain Michael Vaughan. “Sreesanth is seen as one of a new breed of Indian cricketers, empowered by self-confidence and style,” The Independent wrote then.

Last night, that self-confidence and style was not much in evidence. The morning after, though, both rushed in to try and live happily ever after. Sreesanth told reporters he had “no problems with Bhajji, who is like my elder brother.” Harbhajan, before leaving with his team for Mumbai, said: “A lot of things happen in a family. We are part of one family. Whatever has happened, we have sorted it out.” Over to Monday.

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The two poster boys of a new, aggressive India: one slaps, the other bawls Deepak Narayanan Posted online: Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 0032 hrs IST NEW DELHI, APRIL 26 Andrew Symonds was at a net session in Mumbai, Matthew Hayden was battering the Kolkata attack in Chennai. Neither had anything to say on Friday night’s alleged slap spat between Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth, but both can be forgiven for feeling a little smug and having a nice, little laugh when news came of Harbhajan’s suspension this evening. Together, the poster boys of the ‘new, young, aggressive India’ have put the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian Premier League (IPL) in an embarrassing position. Harbhajan left Indian cricket red in the face with a slap that’s bound to be spoken about for a while and Sreesanth’s deluge of tears on live television has washed away any hopes the organisers had of keeping this a happy, sledge-free 45 days. “We have issued a show-cause notice to Harbhajan, for which he has been given time till Monday evening to reply,” BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah had said after the Kings XI Punjab team lodged an official complaint against the off-spinner. Farokh Engineer, match-referee for the Mohali-Mumbai clash, has been appointed to adjudicate on the hearing. “We are not going to sweep things under the carpet. The complaint has to be carefully examined before any decision is made,” Engineer said. Few are buying this. For, both Harbhajan and Sreesanth have been regulars at the match-referee’s office in international cricket, mostly for their over-the-top aggression on the field. But they’ve always been backed by the BCCI. When the off-spinner was accused of making racist remarks against Symonds on the recent tour Down Under, the board threatened to call off the series unless all charges were dropped. “Allegations of racism against a member of our cricket team are not acceptable,” BCCI chief Sharad Pawar had announced in what had become a chorus of national outrage. “The BCCI has decided to give full support to Harbhajan and provide legal help to fight it out.” The hearing ended with a favourable verdict after the off-spinner’s defence was based on a “mishearing” of the word “monkey.” A few days later, Matthew Hayden called him an “obnoxious little weed” on a radio show. With opinion stacked firmly against Hayden for the unprovoked attack, the BCCI decided not to step in, only saying that they hoped Cricket Australia would take appropriate action. Earlier, after a particularly heated one-dayer in Cochin in 2007, when both Sreesanth and Harbhajan got involved in arguments with the Australian players, match-referee Chris Broad said that no one “would like to see a sterile game, but clearly there is a line. Whether that line was crossed or not we will decide later.” Adam Gilchrist wasn’t impressed either. “I saw some really hard-fought cricket and there were comments between different players and that happens,” he said. “I also saw some things that I would not expect from my son Harrison in a backyard game of cricket, but we’ll move on.” In 2006, in a Test match in Johannesburg, Sreesanth got a mouthful after being beaten by South African bowler Andre Nel. He smashed the next delivery for six before running down the wicket and breaking into a series of pelvic thrusts. During the 2007 Trent Bridge Test match, he was fined half his match fees for a shoulder-barge on English captain Michael Vaughan. “Sreesanth is seen as one of a new breed of Indian cricketers, empowered by self-confidence and style,” The Independent wrote then. Last night, that self-confidence and style was not much in evidence. The morning after, though, both rushed in to try and live happily ever after. Sreesanth told reporters he had “no problems with Bhajji, who is like my elder brother.” Harbhajan, before leaving with his team for Mumbai, said: “A lot of things happen in a family. We are part of one family. Whatever has happened, we have sorted it out.” Over to Monday.