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Honour among equals or no play, says Team India
Published on Tue, Jan 08, 2008 at 08:56, Updated at Tue, Jan 08, 2008 in Sports section
Tags: Face The Nation, Harbhajan Singh
UNITED WE STAND: Cricket fans say the matter is not only about cricket, but it is now an issue of national honour.
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Team India’s tour in Down Under has plunged into crisis. Spurred by nationwide anger over umpiring in the Sydney Test and a three-match ban on spinner Harbhajan Singh for allegedly racially abusing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, the team says it will not travel to Canberra for the practice match unless ICC fails to meet two demands – Harbhajan is spared and declared innocent of charges of racism and umpires Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson are removed from the series.
With the tour in doubt and cricketing relations between the two countries almost on the verge of breaking down, CNN-IBN show Face the Nation discussed whether the Indian team should come back from Australia.
On the panel of experts to debate the issue were BCCI’s Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty, Associate Editor of DNA Ayaz Memon, ex-captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth, sports anchor Mandira Bedi, Sydney Morning Herald India correspondent Matt Wade, CNN-IBN’s Chief Cricket Correspondent Nishant Arora and a young audience. CNN-IBN’s Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai moderated the discussion.
Passions were running high when the discussion began with the young audience saying that the matter now is not only about cricket but it has also become an issue of national honour.
“It has become a national issue and a matter of honour. There were seven decisions that went against us. They have treated us badly and so we should come back. Unless the ban against Harbhajan is lifted we should come back and Mr Bucknor has to go,” a young participant said.
However, Srikkanth cautioned that pulling out was not the right thing to do.
“We are getting too emotional. Frankly speaking it is not the best thing to do. The best thing would be to play the next two matches, thrash the Aussies and make it two-all and square the series. If I were the captain, I would have done that. I think everything has gone against India. Harbhajan Singh has been given a very harsh decision and probably an unfair decision. But that does not mean we come back. We should play in the right spirit and then come back,” a spirited Srikkanth said.
Towing Srikkanth’s line Ayaz also said, “I think it is an extreme position to take. To disrupt the tour and come back on an issue which I think can be resolved through diplomacy. If you look back in the history of the game, there has been the Bodyline series when diplomatic relations between Australia and England almost fell through. But they went on with the tour and what happened is a part of cricket history. I think we should insist on lifting the ban on Harbhajan. Obviously, there has been a miscarriage of justice. Nobody is condoning racism. But there is no evidence. So on what grounds was this taken?”
Meanwhile, BCCI representative Ratnakar Shetty said the Board would explore all the options available.
“The first option with the BCCI is to follow the rules. We have already appealed against the match referee’s decision. Momentarily the decision that Mike Proctor has given would be stayed till the final decision of the Appeals Commissioner comes. Definitely Harbhajan can play till then,” Shetty explained.
As the debate gathered steam, an agitated Mandira said, “I share the anger. What happened with Harbhajan is unfair as there is no evidence. There is no stump microphone, no recording at all. You are going on hearsay. You are going by Matthew Hayden, Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke’s word against Sachin Tendulkar’s word. But then I don’t think the answer is to come back.”
“The accusation of racism is something very strong and one has to think before calling somebody a racist. I am angry that someone has called an Indian racist when there is no proof. India must play the rest of the series wearing black armbands of protest. This series will always be remembered as a tainted series,” Mandira added.
Sydney Morning Herald correspondent Matt Wade did not see the issue having snowballed into something with racist overtones.
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