India Cricket News January 2008


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Harbhajan Singh - Andrew Symonds racism hearing

Harbhajan cleared of racial abuse charge

The International Cricket Council have confirmed Harbhajan Singh has been cleared of making a racist comment to Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds.
The 27-year-old was initially found guilty of racially abusing Symonds by ICC referee Mike Proctor after allegedly directing a "monkey" insult at the mixed-race all-rounder during the second Test of the four-match series at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). But at an appeal in Adelaide on Tuesday, New Zealand High Court Judge John Hansen ruled there was not sufficient evidence to prove an offence under rule 3.3 of the code of conduct, which relates to racially insulting behaviour, but decided Harbhajan should be charged with a Level 2.8 offence.
The off-spinner pleaded guilty to that charge and accepted a fine of 50% of his match fee. Prior to the hearing, a letter signed by all the players involved - from both Australia and India - was tendered into evidence as an agreed statement of facts as to what took place at the SCG. Audio and video evidence was presented at the trial, while a full explanation of Justice Hansen's decision will be made on Wednesday.
The Commonwealth Bank triangular series will also go ahead, with the Board of Control for Cricket and India pleased with the outcome of the hearing. Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young is keen for both sides to put the unsavoury incident behind them and concentrate on the triangular series involving the two teams and Sri Lanka looming on the horizon.

India vs Australia Fourth Test at Adelaide Oval

IND vs AUS, Adelaide Test, Day 4: Australia clinch series victory (2:1)

Opener Virender Sehwag on Monday rescued India with a brilliant 151 to force a draw in the fourth and final cricket Test against Australia which still won the hard-fought series 2-1.
The 29-year-old Sehwag notched up his 13th Test century to steer India to safety on a last day Adelaide Oval track as the visitors reached 269 for seven before both teams decided to call off play. The drawn result meant that Australia retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but the Indians proved worthy challengers to the world champion team in a pulsating series which provided much drama both on and off the field.
Resuming their second innings at 45 for one, Sehwag scored his first century in 18 months and held the Indian innings together as wickets kept tumbling at the other end at periodic intervals. Barring Sehwag, who struck 11 fours and two sixes during his 236-ball knock, none of the other Indian batsmen could hang around for long against the the disciplined Australian bowlers who tried their best to force a result.
The high-scoring match will be remembered as Adam Gilchrist's last Test appearance and the great wicket-keeper batsman was lustily cheered as he walked out of the field for the last team. In a touching gesture, all the Indian players shook hands with him after the game.
IND vs AUS, Adelaide Test, day five (close): Australia 563 drew with India 526 & 269-7

Indian Premier League

Mukesh, Shah Rukh, Mallya win IPL bids

Top industrialists and Bollywood stars rode the cricket bandwagon as the big-ticket sport achieved a new meaning with unprecedented money pouring into the game that will be seen in a new professional garb called the Indian Premier League.
The likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Mukesh Ambani, the reigning deities of India’s film and business world, led a rush of more than $718 million as bidding fees for the eight teams on offer. The Board of Control for Cricket in India holds complete rights to the newly-established league, the entry to which will cost each winning bidder 10 per cent of the money they offered at the auction in Mumbai today. Even as elder brother Mr Mukesh Ambani, India’s wealthiest man and chairman of Reliance Industries, the country’s biggest company, picked up the prized cherry ~ the Mumbai team ~ younger sibling and marathon enthusiast Mr Anil Ambani’s Reliance ADAG Group was among the three losers from the 11 companies that entered the fray to own the eight teams in the league.

India vs South Africa Cricket Series 2007-08 in India

South Africa to play three Tests in India

The first Test in the forthcoming three-match rubber between India and South Africa will be played at the Chidambaram stadium, Chepauk, in Chennai from March 26 to 30, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said on Wednesday.
The second and third Tests will be at the Motera stadium in Ahmedabad (April 3-7) and Kanpur's Green Park (April 11-15) respectively. The visitors will land in Kolkata after flying in from Dhaka on March 15 before proceeding to Goa for a short holiday, according to BCCI sources.
They will then start the 29-day tour, after reaching Mumbai on March 18, with a three-day warm-up fixture against India 'A' at the Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium from March 20 before taking on the hosts in the three-Test rubber.

India vs Australia Cricket Series 2007-08

India drops Dravid and Ganguly for CB Series

India's cricket selectors ignored Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid for next month's triangular series in Australia, raising doubts over the veteran batsmen's one-day careers.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead a 16-man squad in the tri-series, also featuring World Cup runners-up Sri Lanka, and a Twenty20 match against the hosts. Former captains Ganguly and Dravid, both 35, are among seven batsmen in the world to have completed 10,000 runs in the shorter version of the game.
Left-handed Ganguly, with 11,363 runs in 311 matches, played his last one-dayer against Pakistan at home two months ago. Middle-order batsman Dravid was axed for a second successive one-day series. He played his last match against Australia at home in October before being dropped against Pakistan. He has so far scored 10,585 runs in 333 matches.
Batsman Suresh Raina, 21, returned to the one-day side after nearly a year, while 19-year-old paceman Ishant Sharma regained his berth after an excellent display in the ongoing Test series in Australia. Sharma, who dismissed Australia captain Ricky Ponting twice during his team's impressive 72-run win in the third Test at Perth on Saturday, has so far figured in just one one-day international.
Fast bowler Pravin Kumar won a place after grabbing eight wickets in one innings in the final of India's premier first-class Ranji Trophy tournament, which ended here on Saturday. Paceman S Sreesanth was also named in the squad after missing the current Test series in Australia due to a shoulder injury.
Indian team: MS Dhoni (Captain), Yuvraj Singh, S Tendulkar, V Sehwag, P Kumar, R Uthappa, I Pathan, S Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir, RP Singh, I Sharma, R Sharma, S Raina, D Karthik, P Chawla.

IND vs AUS, Day 4, Perth Test: India end Australia's winning streak (AUS 2:1)

India recorded one of their most amazing Test triumphs overseas when they beat Australia by 72 runs in the thrilling third cricket Test to snap the champion team's record 16-match winning streak at Perth on Saturday.
Set 413 to win a world record 17th Test in succession, the Australians were dismissed for 340 to allow the spirited visitors to reduce the margin to 2-1 in the four match series with one full day to spare. Not many had given the Indians any hope at the WACA, regarded as the fastest pitch in the world, but Anil Kumble and his men came out firing on all cylinders to not only pull off a sensational victory but raise hopes of levelling the series.
The Indians celebrated wildly and hugged each other after R P Singh castled last man Shaun Tait, bringing an end to a dramatic Test which saw fortune fluctuating from one team to the other on the four days.
Michael Clarke, who has struggled to find his peak form in the series, was the highest scorer for the Australians with 81 while Michael Hussey (46) and captain Ricky Ponting (45) were the other notable performers. With the hosts reeling at 253 for eight, tailenders Mitchell Johnson (50 not out) and Stuart Clark (32) used the long handle to good effect to give the Indians some anxious moments.
IND vs AUS, Third Test, Perth, Day 4 : India 330 & 294 beat Australia 212 & 340 by 72 runs

India ODI squad to be chosen on January 20

The Indian squad for the one-day tri-series in Australia commencing on February 3 as well as for the one-off Twenty20 International against the hosts scheduled on February 1 will be picked in Mumbai on January 20.
"The squad is to be picked on January 20 in Mumbai," BCCI's chief Administrative Officer Prof Ratnakar Shetty said. The date conincides with the last day of the third India-Australia Test at Perth's WACA ground as well as the final day of the Ranji Trophy final at the Wankhede Stadium here between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Only three out of five selectors, including chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar, would be physically present in Mumbai to pick the squad while two other members of the committee Venkatapathy Raju and Ranjib Biswal - would be in Australia and are expected to interact with their colleagues via a teleconference.
Meanwhile, BCCI's Joint Secretary Mahendra Pandove is also set to leave for Australia tomorrow for a two-week stay Down Under. Pandove is going there as a senior office bearer of the BCCI Shetty said. Pandove's visit to Australia assumes significance with the board trying to overturn a verdict of ICC Match Referee Mike Procter who has handed out a three-match ban to off spinner Harbhajan Singh for allegedly racially abusing Australian all rounder Andrew Symonds during the second Test in Sydney. The BCCI has declared the ban as uncalled for, unjustified, patently illegal and totally unaccetable.
ICC, on its part, has appointed New Zealand High Court Judge Justice John Hansen to hear the appeal against the ban but has said that till pending the hearing and its decision Harbhajan is entitled to play in Tests.

Bucknor removed, Bhajji to play 3rd Test

ICC have taken a U-turn on their decision to retain umpire Steve Bucknor for the third and fourth tests to be played at Perth and Adelaide respectively. ICC chief Malcolm Speed has confirmed this. New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden would replace the disgraced West Indian umpire. This was the first demand by the BCCI, which has been fulfilled, but the issue of Harbhajan Singh's ban still remains to be addressed.

Since the ICC had received an appeal by Harbhajan Singh against his ban, it has technically made him eligible to play for the third Test match at Perth. An appeals commissioner would be appointed within the next 24 hours by the ICC to look into the case.Meanwhile the ICC has appointed Ranjan Madugalle to facilitate the meeting between captains Anil Kumble and Ricky Ponting.

India tour suspended in wait for Harbhajan Singh appeal

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) has suspended its team's tour of Australia pending the outcome of an appeal for banned spinner Harbhajan Singh. "The Board will appeal to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to review the decision of the Match Referee and suspend its operation till the appeal is disposed of," the BCCI said in a statement released today. Unfair allegation of racism against our Indian player is wholly unacceptable
BCCI president Sharad Pawar. Jan 7 We tried our best to defuse the situation but their collective behaviour through the game and then, the unwarranted racial slur on Harbhajan led to this
An Indian player. Jan 7 There's been no sledging
Andrew Symonds, who initiated the angry exchange, in Herald Sun. Jan 7 I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Harbhajan Singh directed that word at Andrew Symonds
Mike Procter, the match referee decides. Jan 6

India Spinner Harbhajan banned for three Tests

India spinner Harbhajan Singh has been banned for three Tests after being found guilty of racial abuse during the stormy second Test against Australia, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced yesterday.
Harbhajan was found guilty under Level 3 of the ICC's Code of Conduct following a clash with Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds.The charge was laid by match umpires Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor after Australia captain Ricky Ponting had accused Harbhajan of making a 'monkey' comment at Symonds, the only black player in the home team.
Following a four-hour hearing held at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday, ICC match referee Mike Procter delivered his judgment to the players involved. He found the case against Harbhajan proved and informed him the off-spinner that he was imposing a ban of three Tests. The contentious incident occurred when Harbhajan was batting with Sachin Tendulkar during India's first innings on Saturday.

IND vs AUS, Second Test, Sydney : Australia beat India by 122 runs, equals record (2:0)

Part-time spinner Michael Clarke claimed three wickets in five balls of the penultimate over to clinch Australia a dramatic 122-run second Test victory against India and a record-equalling 16th straight Test win at Sydney on Sunday.
India had looked to be hanging on for a determined draw, with skipper Anil Kumble leading the way with an unbeaten 45. But he could only watch from the other end as the last three wickets tumbled in the second-last over to hand Australia an astonishing victory.
Clarke, with his left-arm off-spinners, claimed 3 for 5 off 11 balls to get Australia home and they will now shoot for a world record 17th straight win in the third Perth Test on January 16-20. While Clarke may have won Australia a thrilling Test, all-rounder Andrew Symonds was judged man-of-the-match with his unbeaten 162 and 61 and 3-51 in the second innings.
The Australian team fought to the end and ringed the remaining Indian batsmen with six fielders to get a breakthrough after Kumble and Harbhajan Singh looked likely to bat out for the draw.
Earlier Ponting called a halt to Australia's second innings at 401 for seven, leaving India with 72 overs to go after the runs. Hussey remained unbeaten on 145 off 259 balls at the time of the declaration for his eighth Test hundred and boosted his average to 84.8 in 20 Tests. Kumble finished with 4-148 off 40 overs and now has 599 Test wickets, while fellow spinner Harbhajan took 2-92 off 33 overs.
IND vs AUS, Second Test, Sydney (day five, close): Australia 463 & 401-7d beat India 532 & 210 by 122 runs



Editor: Nishanth Gopinathan.