Bhajji shadow threatens to halt India tour of Australia

After a couple of weeks of simmering in the background, the racism row involving Harbhajan Singh has cast its shadow once again over India's tour of Australia.

The turmoil came to the forefront after Justice John Hansen, who is to hear the appeal said on Monday that fresh evidence may be presented to him. But as CNN-IBN reports, the Indians find that unacceptable and that the new evidence may be doctored.

Besides being a High Court judge in his native New Zealand, Justice John Hansen is also a keen cricketer. So while he offered a straight bat statement to the media on Monday in Adelaide, there was one googly thrown in.

"There may also be some additional evidence, such as the transcript and video available from the stump cam that was not available to Mr Procter," Justice Hansen says.

That threw the Indian management into a tizzy. Sources told CNN-IBN that no fresh evidence will be acceptable to them. After all, if any such evidence was available why wasn't it presented in Sydney itself when the hearing was held by Mike Proctor? Once again the tour is under threat.

India Vs Australia Test Match Series - Honours even on Day One

A revitalised Rahul Dravid sumptuously strode to 183-ball 93 with 15 fours on the opening day of the 3rd Test here at the Western Australia Cricket Association ground - popularly known as just the WACA, thereby helped to carry India to 297 for six at a healthy run rate of 3.53 runs an over.

But this failed to nail an advantage, as Australia, with only the hitherto unconvincing Mahendra Dhoni remaining among the recognised Indian batsmen, had rather stolen the initiative.

A master-class from Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, who was brilliantly inventive in his innings of 71, and a 139-run association between these two for the 3rd wicket laid a platform for dominance on a pitch touted as too hot for Indian batsmen to handle.

But the foundation was frittered away by the failure of Sourav Ganguly - cutting to gully - and the late exit of VVS Laxman to the second new ball - hooking without getting over or behind a bouncer from Brett Lee, Australia's "standout bowler" as Dravid rightly put it.

Dravid, restored to number three, was 11 when Michael Clarke dropped him at 1st slip off Stuart Clarke. Thereafter, cover drive after cover drive off the front foot uninhibitedly flowed from his ample blade against the thunderbolts of Shaun Tait as well as a straight drive off Mitchell Johnson, which was a connoisseur's delight.

He posted his 50 with a stimulating inside-out cover drive off Andrew Symonds that threaded a narrow gap between extra cover and mid-off. But in attempting an encore holed out at extra cover. "It was disappointing," he admitted later.

While Dravid simply erected a wall in front of the bowlers, Tendulkar impishly improvised. Using the pace of the wicket, he repeatedly upper cut or swatted over the slips against Brett Lee and Tait, not to mention square cutting them fiercely and driving Clarke through the covers. His 128-ball stay was tragically terminated by an umpiring error.

A promising effort in the first hour was squandered in the next. Virender Sehwag played and missed, but juxtaposed this with cracking cuts and cover drives - mainly at the expense of Lee - and a crispy clip off the toes off Johnson to the midwicket fence.

Wasim Jaffer, more cautious but technically correct, followed suit with a stylish on-drive and then a peach of an off-drive for boundaries in Johnson's first over with the wind.

At 56 for none in 12 overs, India were galloping. But Clarke stemmed the run rate, following which impatiently Sehwag slashed at a rising ball from Johnson to pay the penalty.

Bowling against the breeze suited Lee's outswingers more; and he promptly had Jaffer edging to the 'keeper. Fiftyseven runs for the 1st wicket was India's best showing in the series so far, but 59 for two was distinctly discomfiting.

Dravid and Tendulkar played the classic waiting game. If Johnson's pace was close to 150 kph, Lee and Shaun Tait were well in excess of this mark. The wicket was fast, but not disconcerting; though, it might quicken on the 2nd and 3rd days under a hot sun.

Indeed, with Australia having to bat last, India will be hoping that the scorching spell makes it crack - the WACA of old being notorious for this.

With a four-pronged pace attack, the Australian sent down eight overs short of the prescribed 90. It would be another travesty of justice, if the International Cricket Council ignored this.

Appeals turned down evoked good humoured cries from a near capacity crowd of "Bring back (Steve) Bucknor", the umpire sacked after the Sydney Test. But should umpires Asad Rauf and Billy Bowden countenance the use of a four-letter word by Symonds and Johnson, respectively, on being rejected appeals for lbw? Cricket is no longer an Anglo-Saxon affair, but an international sport spawning different cultures.

Co-ordinated, theatrical appeals, even from fielders square to the wicket, are pressure tactics adopted by modern-day cricketers. Rauf appeared to succumb to one such in adjudging Tendulkar lbw to a delivery that hit him above the knee-roll on a bouncy track.

But after a controversy-ridden Sydney Test, the start of this succeeding encounter was incident-free. The only hullabaloo was between a section of Indian journalists and Australian officials in a cramped press box.

India pull-out of ODIs still looms

This latest cricket controversy, starring Australia and India as the warring factions, is akin to a 13-episode serial that has got an extension.

The final episode of the series saw Anil Kumble and Ricky Ponting sit down to discuss things on Monday, have an amicable chat and eventually decide on calling truce ahead of the Perth Test.

Even as their meeting got over - followed by appreciation from all corners - it seemed that the ongoing off-the-field fracas concerning India's Australian tour per se had ended. And that essentially meant the continuation of some much-needed on-the-field action -- and that includes the Commonwealth Bank ODI series next month.

But before jumping to further conclusions just read on

The Board of Control for Cricket in India, it seems, is keen on continuing the by now patriotic saga for a few more episodes. How else can you explain the fact that it is still contemplating a pull-out from the ODIs, vis- -vis the decision on the impending Harbhajan Singh appeal?

"I can't say anything about that now," said BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah, when asked if India will now go ahead with the tour as scheduled.

On further prodding though he was more forthcoming on the issue.

"India is committed to the Harbhajan case," he said, before reiterating something that the Board has been saying since the day the controversy erupted.

"We will not admit and accept any racial slur allegation on Harbhajan." Shah said, adding India will play the next two Tests (in Perth and Adelaide) as scheduled, though a pull-out from the triangular ODI series which also involves Sri Lanka - is still a possibility.

"We're just waiting for the ICC to announce the date of hearing of the case," he said. "We'll take appropriate decisions as things get clearer."

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was banned for three Test matches after the ICC Match Referee Mike Procter upheld Australia's charge that he had racially abused their all-rounder Andrew Symonds

So, even as Kumble-Ponting want to carry on with the game, the BCCI is keen on maintaining status quo on its stance for a few more days and continue with the suspense element.

And till further announcements are made by the Board, the uncertainty surrounding the one-dayers next month remains.

Or, maybe we can read between the lines?

Australia shut India out of the series

Michael Clarke produced magic in the second last over of the match, picking up three wickets as Australia romped home to a 122-run victory in the second Test. The win, which put Australia 2-0 up in the series, also gave Ricky Ponting's men a world record-equalling run of 16 victories in a row.

It was a spineless effort from the Indian batting line-up, as it fell like a pack of cards on a day that had drama, intrigue and disenchantment. The loss would be a bitter truth to digest for Anil Kumble, who had fought well and hard to lead India to the path of recovery. He had joined Mahendra Singh Dhoni when the last four wickets needed to see off 31 overs. Runs were never a concern on this last day. What was needed was a bit of resolve towards the end, something that the top-order failed to put up.  

Kumble showed enough of that and along with Dhoni pushed India within 10 overs of the match. It was then that things started to take the final dip for India. Dhoni was out leg before to Symonds, although Kumble and Harbhajan took India to within 2 overs of the game. However, the punter had already loaded the last dice and Michael Clarke, who was thrown at the deep end, delivered to the delight of the Aussie crowd.

The first ball of his second over turned viciously, catching Harbhajan's edge and finding home in Hussey's hands. RP Singh stamped his foot across on the next delivery and was adjudged leg before. Ishant Sharma nervously negotiated two deliveries before giving first slip Hussey another catch. And that was the end.

Earlier, Andrew Symonds had removed Dhoni as the batsman offered no stroke to a delivery that turned in and was given out leg before for a well-made 35.

Dhoni and Kumble had been resisting the Australian bowling attack after India were put on the ropes. India had lost six wickets for 137 runs with over 30 overs to go, but the two managed to stay at the crease for over 20 overs.

They put on 48 runs, and most importantly consumed 21 overs.

Before the two came together, India slipped, losing three wickets after tea and three before that. Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Sourav Ganguly returned to the pavilion to leave 30 overs for the Indian tail to negotiate. It was a sorry tale as the Indians fell like a pack of cards.

The day had its share of controversies - Dravid getting dismissed after a Symonds-delivery, that kissed his pads, went to the 'keeper; Ganguly, on the other hand, stood his ground after having doubts on whether Michael Clarke had taken his catch clearly. Anil Kumble lamented this in his post-match comments, though through a veiled reference. "That's there for all to see," he said.

But the rot had started very early, when India, chasing 333, found themselves at sea. They lost Wasim Jaffer (0), VVS Laxman (20) and Sachin Tendulkar (12).