Inside the mind and heart of Venkatesh Sridhar

India lost the second test in Sydney, Australia today. As many of us who followed the match know by now that the match is and will always be marred by the dubious decisions that directly impacted the outcome of the match and now the ban imposed on Harbhajan Singh for ‘racially abusing him’.

Now these are the points I have problems with:

1. The ban on Harbhajan: The most interesting and amazing aspect of this decision is that Mike Procter, the Match Referee took Andrew Symonds’s word for it and decided to rule in his favor without having the evidence presented that he called him so. Also, how come he took the words of the Aussies when the talk was just between him and Harbhajan and if at all it was said why was it that Tendulkar who was the closest did not hear it?

Also, the stump mikes can pick up whatever is said on the pitch and it is muted by the broadcasters as they are liable for any abusive language being transmitted over the air as once explained on Tony Greig on air. So, there should have been audio evidence - none was presented.

Another thing that surprises me is that Nigel Peters, a legal expert was attending the hearing and what stuns me is that he did not comment on the lack of evidence.

2. Umpiring: The umpiring was pathetic, I mean it was almost as if it was a local college match and the umpires had been paid off, especially the case when Ponting played a ball going well down the leg side and edged it and the sound was heard in the normal speed only to be caught by Dhoni. The Indians appealed and were turned down. Andrew Symonds bowls to Dravid and Dravid pushes his pads forward and snuggles his bat nicely in between his pads and the ball hits the pads and goes into Gilchrist’s gloves, Australians appeal and it is upheld.

There are people like Ian Chappell who say that over a long period of time, the good decisions and bad decisions weigh each other. It is a fair comment, but the fact is in this test match, it was fully tilted in the favour of one team - the whole reason behind the neutral umpires scenario is because the Aussies, the Pommies felt that the subcontinental umpires were biased towards the home team and that was the major reason why they could not win on subcontinental tours, even Imran Khan once opted to get neutral umpires to play against England for the very same reason.

If the decisions had gone against the Aussies and they had not won this 16th test in a row, then the Australian media would have gone on attack and lambasted the umpiring standards.

3. Ponting’s Integrity: Ricky Ponting answered an Indian Journalist by saying thus,

“Sorry I think you have got something wrong. There’s no way that I
would have grounded that ball and I think if you are actually
questioning my integrity in the game, you should not be standing here.
What I did in the first innings doesn’t that explain the way I play the
game. Well okay I am 100 per cent sure that catch of Dhoni today. As it
turned out wasn’t that given not out. Am I right or wrong?”

while responding to persistent questioning if he had cleanly caught Mahendra
Singh Dhoni off the bowling of Brad Hogg, Australian skipper Ricky Ponting had reacted angrily and asked an
Indian reporter if he was questioning his (Ponting’s) integrity, which led to the Indian media complaining to the BCCI about his behaviour. Ponting, talking about the fact that his integrity beyond question is wrong, because of my piece on the umpiring. Where he was clearly out and he did not walk. Also, Ricky we have video evidence of that happening, that you grounded the ball. Even Ian Chapell, one of Australia’s greatest cricketers and outspoken commentators commented that it was not out. So, what do we believe Ricky, your word for it or the evidence we have.

I am neither dumb nor stupid like Mike Procter, Steve Bucknor or Mark Benson to take your word for it against logic.

4. Clarke’s behavior at Ganguly’s Second Innings Dismissal: By now, everyone knows that another dubious decision was the way Mark Benson handled the entire Ganguly’s Second Innings dismissal. There was this video segment which was being shown on TV where Mark Benson asks Ricky Ponting if it is out. And in the background, Clarke who is right next to Ponting when the question is asked shuffles backwards and is at least two-three foot steps away from the huddle of the Aussie players. Now, why is this piece every important, I would like to take you back to the Michael Slater-Rahul Dravid incident, where Slater blew it by ordering Dravid to walk off because he had caught, what Slater did was wrong or right is a different question altogether, but the thing is that he was so assertive that he had taken the catch. Contrast this reaction and Clarke’s and you see a completely opposite reaction.

Maybe, I am reading too much into it, but if Clarke caught it, why didn’t Clarke say that he took it why was it that Ponting was the one who said it. Also, while discussing this with one of my friends, he said that when he say Ponting run towards Clarke, he was waving his index finger as if to say Ganguly was out, it could even have been him asking whether he caught it or not.

But, all this argument should not have been in place, as Mark Benson, should have consulted Steve Bucknor and if Bucknor was unsure, then go to the Third Umpire. I doubt whether that could have helped as in this test match all the umpires including the third umpire who sits with the Match referee bungled badly in the Aussie First Innings.

5. The Brad Hogg Allegation: Now, the Indian Team has lodged a protest against Brad Hogg for abusing Dhoni and Kumble. I feel that India should have lodged the protest even before the hearing begins. In fact, Kumble should have mentioned it in the press conference itself. Now, it looks as if the Indians are doing it as if it’s a tit for tat.

6. India’s Poor Batting: Let us be objective, India should have played well and should have managed to survive two sessions under pressure. But, the ‘great’ Sachin once again flopped when needed badly and it was for the much criticized ‘Wall’ Dravid to put up a fight, probably what Jaideep Varma blogs about Dravid being the greatest Indian player ever.

(My vote is with Dravid, he is India’s greatest cricketer, because he is a much better team man than Tendulkar, why is it that Sachin never opens in a test but is glad to do so in an ODI, many cricket pundits will rise to his defence that opening in the two versions is completely different, precisely why Dravid is more important than Sachin, because he is ready to move up to a very difficult and specialist position and play. He may have not scored runs, but remember he is in poor form and yet still opened. That shows his character. I digress as this topic alone is worth a separate post.)

What hurt the most was the loss of the last 3 wickets in such quick sucession and it really hurt that it was Micheal Clarke. If I was Kumble, I would have taken time between balls, I would have asked for change of bats, gloves and what not just to deny the Aussies victory, but probably Kumble is too much of a gentleman to do so.

But, the bottomline is India’s hyped batting line up needs to come to party daily not once but twice in the remaining two tests.

7. Team composition: I strongly believe that India needs to remove Yuvraj and replace him with Irfan Pathan as you need a swing bowler in Perth and Irfan has the previous experience of playing here too or if Yuvraj wants to play he should open. Probably, get Jaffer (he is more comfortable with the short pitch stuff than Sehwag and also it is unfair for Sehwag who is also struggling to bring him on in the Perth wicket) and Tendulkar to open and attack from word go. Dravid is inching his way into form, evident from the opulent strokes he played in the second innings.

8. 16th Test wins in a row for Australia: The Aussies have done it once again, but I had more respect for Steve Waugh’s team than for Ricky Ponting’s team as I believe Steve will always be a better captain than Ricky. Also, the contrast is stark, probably success has gone to their heads but Ricky Ponting’s team is very arrogant compared to Steve’s especially the comment by Hayden on end of Day 4 that India cannot win this match from here. If I were in the dressing room, I would have resolved to cream the Aussies in the match and go for the win.

9. The Impotent BCCI: The BCCI has once again proven that it is impotent by deciding to continue the tour and that if Indian cricket has to improve than the BCCI needs to be revamped and first of all we need throw politicians out of sports bodies in India and I am sure progress would definitely be made. The BCCI says it has great relations with Australia and wants to keep it that way fair enough, but the question is who is the BCCI most responsible and answerable to - its players or Cricket Australia. What if the entire Indian team decides not to play, what would the BCCI do, what would happen if the Indian team walked in with black armbands got out not playing shots, stood 5 feet from the wicket. The tour will go on, but will the revenues that the BCCI is so hungry after will it go on??

10. What I expect the Indian team to do: If the spineless BCCI, appeals against Harbhajan which it will certainly do and the Indian team continues with the tour, India should go out and beat the crap out of the Aussies, and if any one Aussie opens his mouth, report him - let’s see what the match officials do.

Come on India, beat the crap out of the Aussies, we stopped their world run once and we can do it again, but this time in their own backyard and that at a ground where they have not lost.

Come on India.

(This Article was first written for http://www.desicritics.org and is awaiting authorization there)