Just wait till we get you home - Indian cricket

[Flamethrower]

India try to put out the fire with petrol


Just wait till we get you home - Indian cricket
By JAMIE PANDARAM - SMH | Tuesday, 04 March 2008
Just wait till we get you home - Indian cricket - New Zealand's source for sport, rugby, cricket & league news on Stuff.co.nz


Angry at a perceived targeting of Harbhajan Singh by Australian fans and media, a senior Indian cricket board official has warned Ricky Ponting's team to be prepared for payback when the side tours India in October.

After it emerged Harbhajan would not be charged after making what appeared to be monkey gestures towards Sydney fans during Sunday's one-day final due to a lack of evidence, Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Niranjan Shah told the Sydney Morning Herald: "Let Australia come to us and see what the crowd might do.

"It's not a good thing, people must forget. All these reports are unnecessary. When your team comes here, if it's too much media attention, maybe there will be the same crowd behaviour in India."

At the same time, Shah conceded officials would meet Harbhajan when he returned from a tumultuous tour this week and urge him not to react to provocation from spectators or rival players.

Spectators contacted the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday to say they had seen the Indian spinner make monkey gestures while fielding in front of the Bill O'Reilly stand at the SCG, echoing reports during the game. One spectator lodged an official complaint with Cricket Australia.

The International Cricket Council, already battling a growing belief that it bows to the wealthy and powerful BCCI, was unable to charge Harbhajan because there is no video footage of the incident. A spectator informed Channel Nine of the alleged monkey gestures but Harbhajan had stopped by the time cameras turned to him.

Photos taken by the Sydney Morning Herald of Harbhajan apparently doing a monkey taunt with one arm were not conclusive, in the ICC's view, and match referee Jeff Crowe said last night that no action would be taken. "After reviewing all available information, I conclude that there is no need to take any action against Harbhajan Singh," Crowe said.

Shah said the BCCI did not overlook player indiscretions and would advise the fiery spinner to refrain when abused by crowds. "Any indiscipline, we do not tolerate," Shah said. "We always say don't react, [Harbhajan] has to learn from senior players like Sachin Tendulkar."

Harbhajan was shielded from the waiting media when India arrived in Brisbane yesterday. He moved through a wall of teammates as he left Brisbane Airport and quickly boarded a waiting bus, a team official telling journalists to "leave him alone".

Indian team manager Bimal Soni said: "This is the imagination of the Australian press, which has been trying to add pressure on Harbhajan at every moment."

But fans at the ground stated otherwise. David Berkelmans, who was sitting in Bay 29 of the Clive Churchill stand with his 12-year-old son, Callum, was appalled when Harbhajan spat towards the crowd: "I witnessed Harbhajan Singh make monkey gestures and spit in the direction of the crowd … I have lodged a complaint with Cricket Australia through their website," he said. "My son was disgusted when he spat. He did the monkey gesture halfway to the boundary, before he could have heard what the crowd were saying. For India's management to deny he did it, it's just an absolute lie. He has been accused twice of racially abusing Andrew Symonds, and if they are going to lie about this, it calls into question the other denials."

Rob Younger of Wollongong added: "The crowd got stuck into him … his response was to stick his hand up and scratch his armpit referring to the infamous monkey taunts against Andrew Symonds … in my opinion his relentless acts of racism and sledging after numerous warnings is more than enough to constitute a ban."

Crowd member Matthew Zywietz said: "There was no doubt that it was a clear monkey gesture." And Blake Delcanho wrote: "I was at the game and saw Harbhajan do the monkey gestures … Are the Indian team management calling 10,000 of us liars?"

[BLR]

Australia has turned into a bunch of whingers...

[jargan83]

If one of the Aussies were to call one of them "turban spinning curry munching f**kwits" the fuss the BCCI would kick up would be UNBELIEVABLE. Its a case of indian cricket thinking it's bigger then the game and it's not. While ICC continues not to lift a finger everytime an indian player is involved including that little snotnosed p***k harbahjan the game will suffer from the bloodynosed that it has suffered over the last 8 weeks

And regardless of tonites result were still better then india on the field in every form of the game, so stick that up ya India. All your shouting and posturing and threats off the field, were still number 1 on it

[JediKnight]

And regardless of tonites result were still better then india on the field in every form of the game, so stick that up ya India. All your shouting and posturing and threats off the field, were still number 1 on it

Actually, you're not.....they've just given you a spanking in the ODI series & I believe they did the same in the Twenty20 world cup. Deal with it & HTFU!!!!

[jargan83]

Check the rankings mate

Wow a nice flash in the pan from India. 20/20 isnt real cricket and those who think it is can think back to January when we gave the "world champions" a thumping. We beat them in their backyard and they beat us here. So what? Life goes on. I can't wait for the rematch in october. I'm over this, most people are (i hope)

[BLR]

Check the rankings mate. Wow a nice flash in the pan from India. 20/20 isnt real cricket and those who think it is can think back to January when we gave the "world champions" a thumping. We beat them in their backyard and they beat us here. So what? Life goes on. I can't wait for the rematch in october. I'm over this, most people are (i hope)

Didn't Warney himself say that 20/20 is the future and is a real trouble for the future of ODI's....

[GIGS20]

And regardless of tonites result were still better then india on the field in every form of the game

20/20 isnt real cricket and those who think it is can think back to January when we gave the "world champions" a thumping.

I think however it qualifies as a 'version of the game' I'd echo your comments about them being dirty arrogant opinionated mongrels, but I'd have to say there is a legitimate challenge to our supremacy when they have performed very well in 20/20 games, whether or not you call it real cricket, the leaders of the game seem happy to call it cricket and therefore it coults for something....don't forget in the seventies, people rubbished the 50 over game because it wasn't real cricket!

In 100 years time we'll be queueing up for tickets to watch Bangladesh play Kurdistan in the final of the 4/4 World cup and people will be saying "it's not real cricket, you need at least seven overs a side for the game to be proper!"

[jargan83]

I'd like to think not, sure it's entertaining but it's targeted at nations like the USA where the people cant sit still for more then 3 hours. ODI crowds are still sell outs (except at the MCG due to it's high capacity). I'd hate to see more of the 20/20 stuff but money talks these days. Its nothing but hit and giggle, get the women and kids through the gates. Their even trialling pink balls for 20/20

[GIGS20]

All i'm saying is your comments hark back to the days of yore when cricket was played over five days anf rugby players didn't wear shoulder pads!

[tdevil]

Actually, you're not.....they've just given you a spanking in the ODI series & I believe they did the same in the Twenty20 world cup. Deal with it & HTFU!!!!

We are the current world champions and ranked no1 in test cricket as well as One Day cricket, as for the 20/20 world cup....it wasn't a world cup, it's was called world series and we humiliated India in the last 20/20.....if you bowl out a team in 20ovrs it's just as good as winning with an innings
It happened twice in 20/20...against NZ & India and both times Michael Clarke was captain, so maybe it's time for punter to step aside, he is one of those players that can't admit that he is getting to old for the game.

[jargan83]

Its looks more likely that will happen. 20/20 cricket in Australia looks more likely to give younger cricketers a taste of international cricket. 20/20 can be so random, 1 over can change a game, unlike the other versions of the game.

And i'd hardly say a 7 run defeat counts as a spanking

[JediKnight]

And i'd hardly say a 7 run defeat counts as a spanking

True.....but a 2-0 series defeat does constitute a whitewash!!!

Punter for the chop!!!

[Swee_82]

True.....but a 2-0 series defeat does constitute a whitewash!!!

Punter for the chop!!!

Our fame spreads across the SMH sports department- who knew Peter Roebuck was reading too?

[jargan83]

I won't argue with that

And i agree that punters tactics let him down severely last night. First he re-introduced Brett Lee to the attack late in the Indian innings, when James Hopes was being scored off. Brett Lee's pace all the indians had to do was get bat on ball and there is a chance of scoring boundries. Hopes should have bowled out. Ponting got alot of his bowling changes wrong and his field placings as well

Next is his persistance with Mitchell Johnson, he needs to learn to swing the ball into the right handed batsmen. Going around the wicket only changes the angle. Fair enough he might be a great bowler down the track but he just isn't good enough at the moment (espeacially in the test arena)

Our top order needs to get some form, we might be used to carrying one or two out of form batsmen, but not the whole top order. I haven't seen an Australian top order look so inconsistant since the 2005 ashes

[benny]

Yeah okay punter for the ass, but would you put michael ' nancy - faketan' clarke as captain, still learning and the Immature

How about symonds hip and shoulder .. talking about the cricket.