Does India run the game?

So yeah, now India runs the cricket…

and what punter says stands on the field, which means Aussies run the match they play in…

do i see a 3rd world war starting somewhere?

Completely agree with you Will. One only needs to turn to some of the fanatical comments in other threads to understand how far some people are willing to go in terms of demands and outrage.

v:
Doesn’t the idea that the “BCCI stated that the future of the tour is dependent on a favorable outcome to the Harbhajan hearing” show that the BCCI completely disregard the game’s authorities? It means that you cannot have a fair and independent review of the Bhajji case — if he is cleared then everyone will always be saying that he was only cleared because of the BCCI, not because he deserves to be cleared!

Of course, the equivalent is that the Aussies could threaten not to play in Perth if Hogg is not cleared!

Everyone is being completely childlike, Aussies and Indians alike!

The BCCI is a bullying thug. It constantly throws its weight around, and its behaviour this time is despicable. It’s so sad to see principle ignored for money. The other nations should refuse to play India until it accepts it has to abide by the same rules as everyone else. The game could survive perfectly well without India – the players would simply earn less.

Agreed, David — the BCCI is a bullying thug.

By throwing their weight around, and by not pursuing change through existing processes, they are fast turning this whole farce into an issue about their behaviour rather than anything else.

gringo,

enlighten me – Saurav Ganguly gave Steve Bucknor 0 marks during our tour Down Under. And yet, the ICC found Mr Bucknor competent enough to officiate the finals of the World Cup – which was an unmitigated disaster. And then stand for the Sydney test. So, do existing processes ( captains to rate umpires and those ratings to impact whether the umpire stays in the Elite panel or not) work?

It is because existing processes dont work that we find ourselves in this debate every couple of years. It is because the ICC, as it functions today, is a mess that we have incidents happening ever so often.

And lets not talk the BCCI and money – the ICC and its other members are equally greedy. Why else would England have a 7 match ODI set with India both home and away or the Australians play us at Kuala Lampur?
And what of the Champions Trophy and grounds free of any advertising not mandated by the ICC?

And what about “ambush marketing”?

And what of people having to drink only ICC mandated colas and to eat only ICC mandated chips – the BCCI did not force that on the ICC.

It is an outrage. It is also an outrage that a player has been blighted with the racist tag on the basis of one person saying so, a person with a decidedly crap reputation for honesty on the cricket field.

This whole fiasco has been handled ineptly by everyone concerned, players/administrators/umpires/media, and the sooner it blows over and is recognized for the infantile little squabble it is the better for the game. This being cricket however, i don’t have high hopes.

The Indians have decided that they will continue with the tour today. This is great news because it means that cricket will continue. What’s not so great is that they are still saying that if Harbhajan’s suspension is not dismissed that they will still call off the tour.
Is this not the most blatant case of blackmail in the history of cricket? How dare the BCCI hold cricket to ransom in this way.
Harbhajan has been reported and has been suspended, and the natural course of justice has been followed to the letter of the law. His right of appeal still stands, but to threaten to pull out of the tour should it not be dismissed reaks of a far greater arrogance than what you are all accusing the Australians of displaying on the field.

also, by all accounts, Steve Bucknor had a shocker at Sydney. By all accounts, he is past his prime.So pray tell me, why did it require the BCCI to “flex its muscles” ( if indeed that is the case) to get Bucknor out of the Perth test? Isnt this something that the ICC should have done proactively ?

Or is the suggestion here that inept and incompetent umpires are par for course – that Bucknor should have stood just to spite the BCCI?

13th man,

you happily admit that steve bucknor has been below par for a while.. well, if india didn’t make a fuss, he’d still be here… so i don’t know what the problem is… he was past his prime.. he had to go.. the icc didn’t have the balls, india pushed him out.. simple.. that’s pretty much what you’re saying, and i don’t see anything wrong in it..

why don’t you get the basic point? the accusation against bhajji is one man’s word against another’s… you believe the aussie version, we don’t… i’d much rather believe sachin… you don’t want to, that’s your choice…

you say that the indians “still weren’t goo enough”.. ya right.. after having 8 decisions go against you, and getting a first innings lead.. it’s pretty easy to say..

indians being hypocritical? i think a lot of people throwing the blame on india are OBTUSE.. wake up.. when reasonable arguments don’t seem to enter your heads, then the tough facts of life ought to.. and that is plain and simple.. india is where the money lies, and today, money rules the game…

all boards around the world are party to this phenomenon…

Yes but what can we do about India’s fielding and running between the wickets?

Perhaps two’s should automatically be given three when batting and mis-fields on the boundary that go for four should be reduced to three?

What other rules can we come up with?

And on the subject of fair play and walking when out, check out this beauty – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Ms37yt3lg – Does Singh have something against big hitting part time offspinners who don’t play for the country they were born in?

The topic of this thread is “does India run the game?”. If that’s the main issue then I’m saying that I for one welcome our new Indian overlords.

…and it’s still a higher form of wit than calling a bloke a monkey.

I see having got Bucknor’s head on a platter, the Indians are now going for Proctor. They claim their players were very upset at the way they were treated by the English lawyer at the hearing, and were “roughly handled”. Hate to think quite what THAT one means.

How far will the Indians go? They are already rapidly losing support here, after initial sympathy.

Good sense of humour, Richard

Dear Amitabh

“Remember, if there is one country whose bowlers have never tried to use “mental disintegration” to get wickets then that’s India.”

Harbhajan is the only cricketer I have heard of being cited for trying to intimidate an umpire. Indian bowlers don’t use mental disintegration against opposing teams -they just go for umpires.

Rusty,

I am not quite sure how you will corroborate what you are saying. Intimidating an umpire today, when laws are so restrictive that Sehwag(I think in australia in 2003-04) got penalized for appealing for too long, is not something that wouldn’t get reported.
If you try to think up a few names of bowlers who carried themselves as real gentlemen on the field (not that I eulogize that aspect of theirs, but that’s subjective) those that come to mind instantaneously are Srinath, Walsh, Ambrose, Prasad, Kumble and the like.
On another note, to be very honest, to the contrary I have felt that Indian players are penalized for the same acts that other teams get away with. The Sehwag incident mentioned above is just one of the many. And actually the general feeling in India has been that the BCCI doesn’t do enough to protect the discrimination against its players.
I see what you are trying to drive at but that’s more witty than logical. In fact, you just reminded me of Ponting’s bravado — raising the finger — on the field when the umpire approached him after a controversial catch. The umpire wasn’t apparently aware of his limits as an on-field umpire(he ought to have consulted the leg umpire and not any player) and Ponting was just too full of himself to keep himself from a little bit of histrionics. That act of raising the finger wasn’t friendly to say the least. He should take a leaf out of Taylor’s or Waugh Sr.’s book regarding how to create a better impression on people.

do you know anything about the incident or just making all the bullshit in your blog.
Tell me one thing if bucknor given so many wrong decisions why there was not a single decision against the Australia.

I must say that BCCI is again a wast organization they only care for the money otherwise they should have been lodge a case against bucknor and benson stating them racist because they took the advise of a white player not the batsman and given all wrong decision against India only.why is it so.
I think this match was totaly fixed and bucknor and benson got hell lot of money for all the decisions In my openion this match should be cancelled and should be played again.
and don’t try to act smart you moron.

Yes BCCI and India Run the game. Do whatever you can do.
let’s wait those Aussies come to India then we will show them how we play the cricket.
and you will also get to know .

we provide the money. and we will run the game as we wish. no one questions our integrity. hehhehe

Ashutosh Singh ………… you sir are a rude pig, the India Laison officer was asked on the news tonight is this a form of blackmail, he put his head down and would not answer the question ……. hhhmmm (suppose we are lucky he didn’t come out with a rascist slur).

Why did Sachin come of and say he did not think what was said was derogatory, then later said Singh said nothing, are the Indians trying to avoid 4-0.

Think on this all our bloggers in India, why when Sachin got down to the 10 & 11 batsmen in the first innings did he take the single of the first ball ????? Don’t tell me he had confidence ……… or was he just trying to protect his not out status. Gangulay in the first test when edging a catch to short leg stood straight up and shook his head before the umpire could raise his finger (but Indians don’t try to influence the umpire), then again old Gangers is a cheat from way back …….. by the way boys how is your mate Azza going living on all his dirty money ????

There we have it the difference between Aus & India an Aussie plays for the team and an Indian plays for himself.

Having said all that the umpires were shocking (for both sides) one side got on with it and the other side saw it as a way out. The Aussies need to tone their aggresion down, the Indians need to grow some balls. We all know racsist Harbi will get off (what a pig), Hogg will be hung out to dry.

Bring on Perth ……. you Indians are going to love Shaun Tait ………….. hahahaha …….

ideally the second test match should be cancelled and another match should be organized since india has well lost a match which it should have ideally won.
there is no credible evidence whether harbhajan has called symonds as monkey or not. except that you said , i did not say statements. if he has indeed said then he should be banned for 3 – 5 tests since it would be unfair and demeaning to compare ancestors of human race with a cheat / fraud.
its been a wonderful lesson for the aussie team so far.

lets hope that the “learned” and articulate (in sledging) captain and team members of aussie team will take a word or two from the past greats of aussie cricket team like john bertrand, neil harvey ,mark taylor and from icc’s advice to CA. not to mention the lashing of peter roebuck in his column. any sensitive thinking captain would have resigned by this moment.

they do play hard and fair in dishing out comments on other players. but when retaliated they dont have the so called ” sportmanship” or spirit of Australia to take it back.

we cannot expect any fair play or honesty when we play with this team. it wud be fantastic to watch “panting cry baby” ponting becoming a bunny to bhaji once again.

Quote:
“how is your mate Azza going living on all his dirty money ????”

in the same way markwaugh and shanewarne are living on the money they got from giving pitch reports to bookers. (only this fraud has come to light)god knows what other frauds they have committed!!!!

Is monkey a racial abuse?
Mostly, No! Well it matter about what we think about our forefathers – monkeys. I think here we would need a dictionary of racist words since a lot of words are confusing. Is Gay a racist word? Is bastard (uttered by Brad Hogg for the Captain Anil Kumble) racist? Well, one thing is certain. Monkey may be abusive to some extent, but ranks way below Bastard and F***er.

Good on ya khaleel, this blog is a British blog. Insert your anti-white remark here now.

I know quite a bit about the game actually and I had that decision in mind when I wrote the comment, – but if one thing overrode home town bias in those days, it was a chance to “go down in history” as the centre of attention during the second ever tied Test.

Ever wondered why that tie doesn’t get as much publicity as the real tied test in Brisbane, because of a useless umpiring decision that back then, did actually cost India the match. A hopeless decision made by an umpire far worse the Steve Bucknor. “It’s the one exeption that proves the rule” – thanks for pointing it our.

A few typos there OX, but an interesting point.

Subcontinent umpiring has certainly improved by a huge magnitude over the last decade or so, despite burning efigees, death threats etc. Of course, neutral umpires probably has a lot to do with that!

khaleel, you say India rightly should have won the test if a few decisions went their way. Mate they couldn’t bat out 70 overs. And whats with the constant repetition of it “being demeaning to monkeys to compare them with a cheat/fraud”. Get a new line fellas.

@OX and Chris,

I wont say that India would have won given decisions going our way in I1 (Symond’s nick etc.) – because we had a bit of green going way as well in our I1. However, given some proper decisions in our I2 on fifth day, the match could have certainly been drawn. Given that Australia played marginally better cricket on Days 4 and 5, I was actually happy with India’s performance as well.

Its the bad decisions and the added non-essential drama on the 5th day that ruined it. Without it, and given the same result (India’s loss) I would have been disappointed but still excited about having watched a thrilling and close match.

Hi Stephen.. poor old Azza also gets brought in here.. suffering from selective memory perhaps? how about the (then) ACB’s covering up of the whole warne-junior waugh affair? and the greatest spinner of all time’s assertion that his mum gave him some pills which were banned… hehe

there’s no end to this man.. india and australia have produced some really great cricketers.. the three named above i hold in very high regard… i just wish we could come together sometime and rave over someone’s cover drive, or a stunning catch, or a beautiful delivery.. a great inning.. anything of that nature..

i for one, really hope there are no more obstacles that prevent this tour from moving on ahead.. it is a rivalry to cherish.. it is the last time i will get to see sachin, dravid and laxman bat in australia.. anything and everything else is trivial…

Monkey may be racist in Australia, but Bastard is sacrilege in India. And Monkeys are Gods here!

Hey Symonds, what about moving to India?

If I am to believe some of the posts above – it seems that in some countries people are happier with questionable parentage than being related to their real ancestors. Well, let us see the jelly in Brad Hogg’s face now

Hey pod, the difference with Warnie is he took his punishment on the chin. None of this “we’ll boycott the tour” hooha like from the Indian management.

@Chris: Apparently said by an Aussie player when DOuglas JArdine walked into the dressing room to complain about someone calling him a bastard. Possibly an apocryphal story, popularized in the Bodyline TV series.

Also read Rick Eyre’s blog: http://www.rickeyre.com/blog/node/1546

chris,

cheating and then saying, yes i cheated after getting caught is only slightly better than saying i didn’t do it in the first place.

but anyway, i get what you mean. i did not intend to flare up anything here… i was very reluctant to use warne’s name here, as he’s been one of my 4 favourite cricketers over the years, alongside sachin, lara and yes, azhar…

probably couldn’t take the azhar comment well myself..

Scott ……… best comment I have read in a long time, summed the whole thing up beautifully.

Has amazed me over the last week it has gone from Bajji (which means racist pig in Indian) said nothing racist to he said nothing at all to we should have sorted it out like men behind closed doors.

The one to come out of this with his reputation sullied the most is Tendulkar, the little garden gnome should have worked out one story and stuck with it.

Everyone here in Australia was so looking forward to a great series where the home side was greatly tested (after all that was promised), also the Indians were not going to back down. What do we see but a bunch of unfit amateurs that at the first sign of a tough fight fold like a pack of cards.

Scott you realise this will cause the effigies to be flying thick and fast in down town Mumbai don’t you.

You are right Stephen in saying that Tendulkar came out looking like a man with a sullied reputation. Indain’s may revere him and yes in the past he has come across as a most affable person but to so openly claim that because he didn’t hear it didn’t happen and then expect that his word should be absolute is disingenuous at best.

Me thinks the video footage that clearly shows Singh uttering the ‘Monkey’ slur is more than proof positive he is a racist individual. The fact that Tendulkar is attempting to exonerate him for such behaviour shows the true character of Tendulkar and it isn’t pretty.

There was a lot to like about India’s last day’s play, not withstanding the time wasting tactics, especially Kumble’s gritty innings, but if India wanted to press home a point then they should have done what all other non-subcontinent nations do an get on with the bloody game like real me do!

The Indians have proven to be a bunch of limp dicks with a loser’s attitude. Poor me, woe is me, why don’t they just let us win for once. Pleeaassee….. Just go home India, play Bangladesh 4 times a year so you get that ‘winning feeling’ and leave us true cricketing nations in peace.

It’s amazing you know, everyone was looking forward to the Indian arrival, some thought the crowd would be hammering India for their behaviour in Mumbai, eg Sing and Srisanth, yet instead Laxmann and Tendulkar were revered for their stroke play. No racist taunts from the Aussie crowds. Many were expecting the Indians to come out as promised and give it to the Australians. Instead India fell apart like a well tampered cricket ball in the hands of Kapil Dev. I guess the intestinal fortitude it requires to play at test level is non existent in the Indian team, its officials and its fans.

PS. Yes Stephen, they will be burning more effigies and this will only help to confirm how racist and mentally challenged Indians really are.

I bring a vial of vitriol to the proceedings!

One thing I fail to understand: in most comments replying to the Indian complaints of poor umpiring in the 2nd Test, the common reply is “dont forget the standard of umpiring in India 30 years ago!”

I’m going to turn the tables. What if in view of the racism allegations, the Indians were to bring into attention the past of Australia. The rather racist past of Australia.

Yes the umpires in India used to be appalling in the past – but don’t forget, your grand-dad probably hunted the aborigines in the ouback like herd animals!

Standing up for a black man who was called a monkey might make you feel good about yourself – don’t forget, in the past, while Indian’s were giving bad decisions on the field, the Aussies were slaughtering an entire nation of blacks!

There’s no point picking from India’s past – as the Australian past isn’t too rosy – it’s actually quite red – with aborigine blood.

If you tell us – “Your umpires were bad then, so cop it now and stop whining,” you’ve got a thing coming! Your forefathers have killed black men, Harbhajan only called one a monkey – stop whining, cop it, move on. (BTW – If Harbhajan is guilty as per ICC regulations he should be banned.)

The point is – past umpiring decisions should not affect your currrent views just as past racial issues don’t seem to.

If you don’t feel a pang of guilt for your racist past, then we certainly don’t feel any for bad umpiring decisions in the 70s!!!

In response to Vitriol:
As an Australian I feel incredibly guilty about Australia’s history and the slaughter of Aborigines. I wish it had never happened, and I hope it never happens again. So, since some of us do feel guilt for our racist past, do you feel any guilt for bad umpiring decisions in the 70s?

Furthermore, are any racial taunts unacceptable, or should everyone follow your standard of “stop whining, cop it, move on”? If that’s the case, they why won’t the Indian cricket team stop whining and move on from Brad Hogg’s indiscretion?

In response to Will’s post:
Perhaps India thinks they run world cricket, but if the ICC and other cricketing nations stood up to them and said that their behaviour (calling for the sacking of Bucknor, and refusing to play in matches unless all of their conditions were met) was unacceptable, then I think they’d very quickly fall back into line.

Ring around a Rosie for the Indian mob. It’s like “Circle the wagons, here they come again…”
Poor old Vitriol is trying to grasp Australian history without knowing which end is his head and which end is his arse.
As for the horrible acts perpetuated against the Aboriginals, this was mainly done by the rich station owners, which in essence were either British, French or German so please don’t make a dickhead of yourself in trying to make out you actually know something other than the length of your tiny dick.
To try and use this as a means to absolve India of being cheating racist pricks is meaningless, especially given the inherently racist nature of India’s past. If you really want to get into a slanging match over who is more abhorrent in racial violence and murder India will lose hands down over any country, just ask Pakistan.
So lets get this back onto cricket shall we.
India lost the 2nd test. India promised to “take it up to the Australians”. India did not have the guts or ability to play the world’s best team at the world’s best level, so what did India do. Well firstly they sooked like a baby to cover up their inability to be anything of significance, and then they claimed everyone cheated. Hell, I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that the taxi drivers were in on it.

Throughout all this India have showed their total lack of maturity in accepting they are a racist and elitist bunch of superior beings. Instead, they have for some obscure reason called all Australians cheats, liars and now killers of aboriginals in one of the worlds most childish tantrums.

Sing is a racist, the ICC have said so and found him guilty. However, this incident has apparently meant that India can dig up any crap to critique the world on past misdeeds. Is India so precious that it thrives on arrogance? You face a 4 – 0 thrashing unless it rains so please don’t cheapen the game by claiming umpiring would have made you better. Your team is shit.
As for Brad Hogg, this was nothing more than a stunt from the BCCI to deflect from their inability to acknowledge racism in sport. Brad Hogg apparently called Kumble a Bastard, or so the media said. Then we hear that Hogg only actually used the term ‘Bastard’ to Ricky Ponting and never directed it to any player in general, yet now he’s a racist!
You Indians whinge so much it’s little wonder you are shithouse at sport. No wonder Pakistan can’t stand you.

I think it is silly discussing it here. There’s a court set up and they have to decide based on evidence. Peter Booth was not there, neither were you all or I. No point discussing the morality of Ponting or Tendulkar here. We all know who was not playing fair, but the racist remark allegation should be proved only in the court setup by ICC, not you or me. You can check out this article for statement of facts, just facts.

About Booth’s remark about who runs the game, obviously he knows who does right now, so no point lamenting. People have controlled various things at various times, so no pointing ruing what is today a fact. The cricketers earn their bread from the ones who pay the money.

Third point is we are discussing a racist remark not racism which is a much higher thing since it is about biases and prejudices which impact a race’s personal growth and is beyond things said in a fit of rage to each other. It is more likely to be a well thought of and continuous set of actions. Racism is something which is much beyond these silly discussions and banana courts (nothing to do with monkeys). It is much bigger and has a very ugly face, which most of the people indulging in cerebral punching here do not understand. Some of them here (going by the language they use) are much more racists than any person you know.

Please don’t leave racist remarks. I doubt if anyone’s personal knowledge about how another country works is credible enough to be celebrated. We in India can never understand that Bastard relates to your friends out there in Australia, similarly i don’t expect people in Australia to understand that monkeying around in India doesn’t mean a sadist is at work. That’s the only reason that a nation has risen to defend a thought that is alleged. (words don’t count here only the intended meaning)

It would appear that in the mindset of Indian supporters there is no manner of ill behaviour from the elitist Indians that transgresses the rules. Australia is simply brilliant at cricket and India is pathetic, that is simple. Australia in Amitabh’s eyes exploits the rules and India in their holier than thou manner are perfect. India never appeal when they know an LBW isn’t even close, India have never ball-tampered on numerous occasions, even Tendulkar, India have never claimed a catch that wasn’t, India have never stood their ground after being bowled and India have never been involved in match-fixing or corruption! Of course I’m being cynical because India have a terribly corrupt cricket history both on and off the field and the above mentioned examples are something Indian cricketers engage in whenever they paly. It’s called cricket!

Amitabh also claims that even though Andrew Symonds was racially abused by Singh and the Indian crowds it is still Australia’s fault because they are predominantly white. Is this because of India’s hatred of the colonials or whites in general? This is the nexus of the problem. India cannot accept that racism exists in all colours, not just whites, yet their elitist mindset will not accept this fact. Sing is a racist, the India crowds are racist and the BCCI and the Indian comments in here seemingly fully approve of racial abuse.

As for the cricket. India would never have won the 2nd test, bad umpiring decisions or not, there just simply wasn’t enough time and Ponting’s declaration made sure of that. If you are still bleating on about being dudded then I would suggest you write to the BCCI and ask them to forfeit India’s test victory over England last year because Steve Bucknor dudded the English team.
India played well for a group of 2nd rate cricketers but when you have a team 6 for 134 on day 1 you should be able to bowl the remainder out but you couldn’t. To then call all Australian’s cheats, liars and raise all manner of ancillary matters to justify your rant it further highlights the deep-seated hatred that lies within the Indian mindset towards all other countries. The sad thing is that the accusations are based on your own lack of understanding of the rules, or your ignorance of them.
If you want to talk about reversing the roles so Australia is on the receiving end of bad decisions then look no further than Australia’s loss a few years ago to England in the Ashes series. The umpiring was atrocious but in the end England created all the chances, they were the better team and you just move on. No good moaning like a baby and labelling an entire nation cheats, liars and baby-killers because you lost. The umpiring wasn’t England’s fault so there is no rational reason to instantly hate them because we weren’t good enough. Sadly for India, you are so immature that throwing a tantrum is your only way to express yourselves. Grow up please.

Now thats good language Scott. Way to go, keep it that way.

But coming to cricket, why are we hell bent on blaming one another when the crux of the problem lays with the individual. It would be wrong to label us “Indian’s” racist. Look outside your window and you would see who is the victim here.

The superiority complex arises out of many circumstances, none of which existed in India till about a decade ago. And 10 years is too short a time for anyone to bloat up his chest and bully around the world calling everyone racist.

Talking about the Ashes series, the umpiring errors did exist, but not as one sided and as atrocious as the one in the Sydney test. At 134/6 , Australia would have been shot out for 250 or less had Symonds been given out, but then that was not to be. And then to talk about the inability of the Indians to get the Aussie tail out quickly is baseless because the Aussie’s suffered the same fate when India scored 532 after being 345/7.

Please Scott…. with all due respect, get your facts right. Now isn’t this a biased argument? We all tend to support our home team, but lets try and be as unbiased as possible. I will completely agree with you on the terribly corrupt history of Indian cricket thanks to some people. But then again, it was a few individuals.But you have to keep in mind that the current crop of cricketers play fair, Tendulkar (Although you might disagree), Kumble, Laxman & Dravid are great examples and every effort is being made to relieve India of its dark past.Pretty much similar to the South African past.

About tantrums, the Aussie team is no less expert in throwing tantrums and passing judgements. Only those teams throw a tantrum who know that their word carries a weightage. So India (being a financial superpower in Cricket) and Australia (being the best team on the field)are equally guilty of this charge in different circumstances and on different occassions.

And lastly I would say that you just hate India if you have to say that India did not stand a chance to win the 2nd test. I believe both the teams stood a chance, but India had done enough to secure a win. The fact that they got the Aussie batsman out 14 times in the 1st Innings and 8 times in the 2nd (as shown on the TV) clearly shows who bowled well. And that the Aussie bowlers deserved only 7 of the 10 Indian wickets that fell in the 2nd Innings strengthens the case. And if India really played so badly as you point out, then I really think that Australia played miserably to let the fate of the match be decided on the 8th last ball of the match.

Kumble, Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman have done enough in the past to be rememembered as great or really good cricketers and any team comprising them can, by no means be called poor.

In keeping with the getting on with cricket theme (good one!) I would pose a question?

Do you think the bad decisions themselves cost India as much as there inability to cope with them. When you’re playing the top side, it is human nature to lament what might have been, but let’s not forget, in the Sydney test, both Hussey (2nd innings) and Symonds (1st innings) made 100 or more runs, EACH, AFTER the questionable decisions. While highlighting the impact of these attrocious decisions, it also highlights perhaps a weakness Anil Kumble needs to address in his charges. They need to be able to “get on with it” and take the wicket again.

The other really bad one that comes to mind, was Dravid’s dismissal late in the second innings, but let’s not forget there were 9 other wickets to fall, 3 in one over.

So can we talk cricket again? For me Shane Warne and Glen McGrath spring to mind (not because I’m racist but I’m an Aussie and that’s who I watched the most) for all their ranting and raving, when decisions did go against them (and it did happen), while no doubt complaining bitterly on the field, at the time, they had a knack of getting back to work and not letting it get too costly. India certainly didn’t manage to do this, this time.

Stu, I agree with you. Barring Kumble and to a certain extent Bhajji, the other bowlers are nowhere close to the talent that Warne and McGrath possessed.But then the Indians got Symonds out 3 times in the 1st Innings, what more can one expect. Hussey played really well in the second innings to deny Indians another chance of dismissing him, but then his own principals saved his day as he chose not to walk and of course the umpire made the blunder.

The Indian bowlers are as effective on the Aussie pitches as the Australians on the Indian. Even Warne had a lot of trouble getting wickets on the Indian pitches. That being said, it certainly is a challenge for the Indian’s to take wickets in Australia and considerig that trend I think they have done well enough on this tour with a ‘not so established bowling line up’ to restrict the Aussie onslaught in terms of batting.But they have a long way to go if they really have to make a match out of the remaining 2 tests.

Clarke bowled well to get the last 3 and at this point I would like to mention that it was because of the lack of the ability (and not the lack of technique) to handle pressure for RP Singh and Ishant Sharma(his technique is also quite poor).

The if’s and but’s would go on, agreed we had a weak No 10 and No 11 in that match, but they would never had had to come to the pitch had the umpires not bungled up so misrably. So there you go, if’s and but’s again. But then again, you never know.

Touche Naveen – I must admit I laughed out loud when reading your relay above.

You are quite right, India did probably get Symonds out three times, and true, you can’t expect much more than that!

Hey Amitabh, I would quite agree with you on that. Pretty similar to our very own Sreesanth who behaved horrendously in the recently concluded Ind v Aus series here in India. But the difference is, Sreesanth is really young in his career and thus, can be moulded with the right guidance. Dhoni has already washed his hands off him and said that Sree would be responsible for his own actions. This has visibly mellowed the speedster.

But Ponting, Roy and Haydos currently are way too experienced and their respective captains and the Australian Cricket board had not done enough to rein in their behaviour early on in their career. And I see Michael Clarke going the same way and is being ably guided by his captain and other seniors. Being aggressive by nature does not allow you to be a bully on the field. Look at Kumble, the fellow is aggressive but does not utter a word on the field. Look at Walsh, Ambrose. Look at Brett Lee, aggressive, says a few words, but I have never seen him foul mouth the opposition.

The problem has many layers, as mentioned, the boards dont take action, the captains dont interfere, the opposition does not complain and when they do, the referee dont take fair decisions. This is a collective failure of people executing their responsibility to their fullest.

Hey Stu, absolutely no intention to brand these fellows cheats. But I would like to believe that they have this sense of arrogance in them, this sense of superiority that noone can get close to them or even challenge them. It shows the way they take on the opposition at the drop of a hat when it comes to verbal volleying.

This sets up a chain reaction of an over aggressive behaviour which resembles to that of my neibhorhood bully, during my childhood, who would come and shake me up and try and scare me when I played well, just because he was big in size or had the backing of someone powerful.

Thats the context I am talking about, no one is above the game. Ganguly does not have a clean slate either, and there have been many articles about this issue in the Indian dailies over here, but in comparison with the Aussie’s in question, he has never played an instigating role. He has just given it back whenever he has been on the receiving end. I know that is something that can be debated, but the Aussie’s have always openly talked about mental disintegration and one can only guess what they utter on the field under its veil.

We’ll have to agree to disagree on Ganguly Naveen, but it’s a mute point. Anyone who think’s their cricketers don’t do just what all the rest do, is kidding themselves. I watched today (3rd Test Day 2 – completely dominated by India) and they appealed for just as many they knew were not out as does any side, and anyone who has played cricket anywhere, has done as much. Let’s forget about that.

Mental disintegration, is certainly a license to sledge – good point – but it only works if you are bloody good! You have to have many previous victories, and it helps if they were incredible/absolute victories, on which to base your psychological games. Once that happens, it is self perpetuating. Refer to Warne – Kullinan, McGrath to Lara etc. India have a chance to throw this back at the Aussies (Harbhajan – Ponting, winning after following on etc) and believe me, if they can they will.

I think “Mental disintegration” as it has been labelled, is a legitimate tactic – I think Mental intimidation (abuse) is all that needs to be cracked down on.

For example, Warne asking Kullinan “what colour the couch was” (referring to his therapy sessions and reminding him just how domininate he was), or McGrath naming his “bunnies” before a match is fine. I think just swearing at batsman, racial abuse etc, is just dumb, weak, and shows that you don’t have the mental capacity to come up with anything better.

I’d hate to see “sledging” outlawed – but am happy to see players reported for abuse.

As for over celebrating, or being arrogant, well, if you were to outlaw that, we’d all have to go play soccer!

Ganguly being rudely aggressive — that’s news to me. He actually is the benchmark against which I would rather have all other players rated. Less than him(the likes of Dravid, Srinath etc) only end up offending their followers for not matching an eye for an eye, and more than him (the likes of Symonds, Ponting, Hayden( Hayden for his body language, Stu) seem to be suffering from some form of vanity.I don’t know where Stu has seen Ganguly lose it as the Australians beings mentioned do. He is positively aggressive, except once in England, when he just pushed it beyond the limit.
The history of players being penalised for breaking rules, I must mention here, is also marred with great bias against India, for unknown reasons. Players from India get penalised often for actions that would be termed as part of the sport if players from other teams did them. This is nothing against Australia, it’s just a pattern that I have closely observed over the past 10-12 years. I think it was Symonds who had a never lasting appeal in this match, for one. I don’t say that he should be penalised but then, why was Sehwag penalised 4 years back when he appealed standing at silly point. It was a credible appeal after all. Similar episodes have actually created this wrath in the minds of Indian cricket lovers.
Also, using mental disintegration is a weakness not a strength. You resort to extra-cricketing skills only when your cricketing skills seem to be all but winning you a match. Come on, Australians can win matches without performing their histrionics on the ground, which doesn’t send a good message to the world in the first place.
McEnroe didn’t win more than Federer through all his antics, did he.

I just re-read your post a couple more time Arntabh.

As best as I can determine, you’re saying Australian’s play cricket like McEnroe palyed tennis, (who was a genius by the way but argued with umpires a lot). You say this because of the way you interpret their body language, but Indians, who have been cited and disciplined more than any other test playing nation are unfairly dealt with for “unknown” reasons relating to some unexplainable bias.

Where was this unexplainable bias when the ICC sacked Steve Bucknor at the request (demand) of your board?

Hmmmm?

Good post Amitabh.

I think its all a matter of perception . Its all a part of growing up. I have seen so many players come to the international level and behave like it was a local match. People take time to get used to the pressures and the importance of representing their country. Most of them fall in line and rectify their behaviour but some just go over board. It surprises me that people like McGrath, Hayden and Bhajji, after beng around for over 10 years on the international circuit still get/got into petty fights on the field just to pull the opposition down. And the funny part is that each one of them is capable of letting their cricketing skills do all the talking.

People need to realise they are role models for a generation of kids back home and around the world and need to behave in a manner that befits their stature. Just like McGrath and Hayden might be stars in Australia, Bhajji is a demi-god in India. No one is perfect, everyone, even a Tendulkar or a Bradman would agree that a person learns and evolves continuously and that is what we expect of these players.To learn to treat their opponents with respect. Does not atter if you are playing against a team of white skinned players or a team of dak skinned players.

This remids me of a spat between Zaheer Khan and Kevin Peitersen where the latter demeaned the former by asking him questions about the ecnomic well being of India. This is the level that players stoop to win mind games over the opposition and I think it is tterly disgusting. India is developing and has a long way to go in being a world class country, but to mix that with on field aggression is totally uncalled for.

Here we go. Here come the Indians with the gloating and smugness. Fair enough too, your guys won fair and square and were better for at least 3 and half of the four days – hence you won. Winners are grinners.

But it’s funny to watch on various blogs (and even the India celebrations) as Inda now take on the role of winners, they are guilty of everything Australia has been criticised for.

Does anyone think that when you lose, it’s grating to see the winners so happy, and maybe it’s just that Australia win so much that really gets people annoyed. Imagine this current Indian side, and their entourage, if they had 15 more wins, in a row, behind them?!?!

Please, by all means pod, naveen, amitabh and others, stick it to us Aussies. You won and won well! Celebrate, enjoy live it up – that’s why we all care so much about winning – but get off this “hollier than thou” good behaviour crusade.

and you’re quite right about people getting annoyed when australia win.. it’s because they win so much!!:)

it’s a damn good team, and coming so close and missing out on a win/draw against them was immensely frustrating… so yeah…

Good one Darryl!

And pod – I think in a strange kind of way we are agreeing – although sorry, my language might have been a bit strong.

You should (really, really, really, should) give that peanut Scot as much “stick” as he has coming. He is an example of exactly what he accuses the Indians of – clearly so one eyed and full of …anyway enough of that – he seems to be gone now.

You are winners, you are grinners…enjoy it! Rub it in, and celebrate the fact that deep down, we are all biased, and all love to see our team win, especially in adverse conditions like tours of foreign countries dig up. Just don’t claim to be above it, when the shoe is on the other foot.

Australia have had this luxury for some time. We ain’t gonna get sick of it, but it ain’t gonna last forever either – it may already be changing…

” Holier than thou “.. never. My claims have always been that the Aussie’s do it more than the others.

As for the Roy dismissal, yep.. he got an inside edge…. he might have scored a double ton…but then…. he might have been dismissed the next ball. Just like Sachin… had he not been given wrongly out in the 1st innings… he might have scored a triple ton . All speculations…. Just like India WOULD HAVE won the Sydney test had it not been for Bucknor and Benson (not Australia).

Fortunately, I would say that both the umpires were consistent in their performance. Sachin and Dhoni were given out to deliveries that were high, and so was Hussey in the second innings. Ricky was dismissed leg before twice in the 2nd innings to Ishant, but was given not out. Why do you forget that? The Aussie suporters here might want to disagree, but I think that the umpires were consistently patchy for both teams. They gave some good ones and some bad ones.

Funnily though, after all that happened in Sydney, I expected batsmen to walk after they clearly edged balls to fielders or keepers, but batsmen from both sides were guilty of this.

But atleast we did not have anyone claiming a bump catch this time around…. he he he. This is what the Sydney fiasco has done. People would think twice now.

More than anything, I am happy that we can look forward to a wounded Aussie team firing on all cylinders for the final test. Knowing their reputation, I suspect a one sided contest. But then, India is a very unpredictable team. I expected India to win at Perth… probably a supporters biase… and I expect them to square the series now at Adelaide.. but thats left to be seen.

A thrilling contest to look forward to. I think the favourites would be decided in the first two days… after that.. its up to the favourites to throw away the advantage.

The match at Sydney leived upto its expectations but for the right reasons (cricketing) rather than for the worng reasons (off field antics, umpiring bias etc.). Both the teams played exceedingly well but the better team, on that day, won. Lot of comments from Aussies stating that the umpiring standard was below par, (Symonds given out Lbw, when ball hot the bat, Hussey adjudged LbW etc) but please consider that India also bore the brunt of it when Sachin & Dhoni also were given out. Let’s face it, the Umpiring standard was in no way comparable to the decisions given in 2nd match.