Harbhajan in trouble over verbal doosra to Symonds

Harbhajan in trouble over verbal doosra to Symonds

Andrew Symonds is at it again, and so is the entire Australian team-accusing the Indians of racist comments, and this time it's in their own country.
Harbhajan Singh has been reported for racially taunting Symonds on the third day of the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The Indian off-spinner is said to be charged with Level 3.3 offence that cites "using language or gestures that offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, threatens, disparages or vilifies another person on the basis of that person's race, religion, gender, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin."
Singh faces a ban of two-to-four Test matches or four-to-eight ODIs if proved guilty. It's still unclear if the Australian team management have reported the issue or the matter has been brought to notice by the two on-field umpires Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson.
Singh can still go for an appeal in case the charges are proved and he's awarded a ban. Apparently, it was Symonds who started the conversation as Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh were in the middle of a record eighth-wicket partnership. It turned into a heated argument with Singh signalling Symonds with his hand, asking him to come up to him and have a talk. He had a little conversation as Symonds went past him. Skipper Ricky Ponting walked upto him and had a few words that cooled matters.
Umpires Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson took note of it, and called Singh over. Interestingly, Benson put a hand over his mouth when he spoke to Singh, preventing any possible attempts to lip-read him.
Tendulkar, who was in the middle with Singh then, played down the incident. "There were just a couple of lines exchanged between the two here and there. It keeps happening. It was about getting friendly. Harbhajan told Symonds that you seem to be getting very friendly with our bowlers, I am also a bowler. Why aren't you trying to be friendly with me?" he said.
Singh will attend a hearing with match referee Mike Procter tomorrow evening

Tendulkar lords over Sydney, cracks 38th century


If this is a beginning, several happy endings are slated for the new year, what with a packed itinerary ahead.
Sachin Tendulkar scored his 38th century - his first in the last seven attempts, six of them in Tests. India added over 100 runs in each session at the SCG to 532, which was the second best score against the Australians in the last three years, and they are now in with a good chance of denying the hosts a 16 wins in-a-row record, if not of wrapping up this Test. Australia are 13/0 in five overs in their second innings, and still trail by 56, leading into the fourth day.
Sometimes it gets difficult when happiness comes in such abundance. Perhaps that can account for Harbhajan's appearance tomorrow with the match referee because of a little moment of banter after his charismatic and reassuring presence at the crease.
Harbhajan scored a critical 63 and spent 137 important minutes. Tendulkar was on 69 when Harbhajan arrived as the number 8 bat at the relatively shaky other end, and he left when Tendulkar was 133, and India's score had swelled beyond that of the opposition.
Most laudable was Harbhajan's conviction that helped him stay with Tendulkar through critical junctures. Their 129-run partnership snatched the initiative from the Australians.
Overnight batsmen Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly looked to start the day on a very positive note, the latter being the more aggressive. Ganguly struck two boundaries off Brett Lee-sublime drives off the front and back foot-and handled the short stuff with amazing ease, especially a stunning pull off Clark.
The duo looked set to beat the Aussies in their own game plan. With the field spread out against the barrage of boundaries-fielders manning the two ends of the square-both approached the critical first session with soft hands and quick feet.
Hogg was introduced in the sixth over of the day and Tendulkar took the cue, followed by Ganguly. Then there was Michael Clarke, and both Indian batsmen smashed the Australian left-arm varieties of spin for straight sixes while Tendulkar preferred to stand and deliver, Ganguly was happy to jump out and play the lofted shot.
Ganguly reached his fifty in 68 balls with six boundaries, but just when India appeared to have averted the danger signals and were nearing the first halt to rest, Ganguly fell to Hogg for the third time in the series. Ganguly stepped out again to play a big shot but was cramped for space and a chip shot he managed landed safely into Michael Hussey's hands at mid-off.
Ganguly's departure brought the under-pressure Yuvraj at the crease, and his cheap dismissal cast further doubt about over whether he really belonged to the Test arena on Australian wickets.
MS Dhoni arrived, but became Gilchrist's 40th victim while Test skipper Anil Kumble also fell, putting India on alert.
That was when Tendulkar decided to take charge. Warming up with a few boundaries off Mitchell Johnson and a cracking cover-drive off Clark, he got busy reinventing his famed upper-cut shot against Brett Lee.
Harbhajan showed his ability to switch between cross bat shots to ones driven in the V, varying between attack and dead defence. He crossed 1,000 runs in Test cricket on either side of Tendulkar reaching his century in 160 balls and eight fours. India pushed past 400 before retiring for tea (424/7).
In the first hour post-tea, Harbhajan treated Clark with contempt to reach his half-century from 73 balls and six hits to the fence. He fell next ball, overtaking Kirmani and Karsan Ghavri's long-standing partnership record, but RP Singh and last man Ishant Sharma joined the party to further frustrate the hosts.
Tendulkar showed amazing faith in his number 10 and number 11 bat - giving them as much strike as possible, in fact taking the single of the first ball. RP contributed 13 and Ishant slammed 23, including four fours against Lee.
Tendulkar's contribution in that last wicket partnership 31 was only 8 as he stroked past his 150 before Lee caught Ishant off his own bowling to bag a fiver.
Australia's woeful bowling rate meant that India could only bowl five of the scheduled remaining 11 overs in the last stretch.
Every morning session over the last three days has been critical towards shaping the match formations, tomorrow will be no different with Kumble and Harbhajan on a wicket that is now offering appreciable turn.
Scoreboard
Australia 1st Innings: 463
India (1st Innings) (Overnight 216/3): S Tendulkar not out 154,S Ganguly c Hussey b Hogg 67, Y Singh lbw Lee 12,M S Dhoni c Gilchrist b Lee 2, A Kumble c Gilchrist b Lee 2, H Singh c Hussey b Johnson 63, R P Singh c Gilchrist b Clark 13,I Sharma c & b Lee 23
Extras: (b-4,lb-13, nb-8,w-6) 31
TOTAL: (all out, 138.2overs) 532
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-183, 3-185, 4-293, 5-321, 6-330, 7-345, 8-474, 9-501, 10-532.
Bowling: Lee 32.2-5-119-5 , Johnson 37-2-148-2 , Clark 25-3-80-1 , Symonds 7-1-19-0, Hogg 30-2-121-2, Clarke 7-1-28-0.
Australia 2nd Innings:
P Jacques batting 8, M Hayden batting 5
TOTAL: (for no loss, 5 overs) 13
Bowling: R P Singh 2-0-7-0, Ishant 1-0-4-0, Harbhajan 1-1-0-0, Kumble 1-0-2-0.

By Julian Linden
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Matthew Hayden scored his second century of the series on Saturday to equal Don Bradman's career tally of 29 test hundreds and provide Australia with a glimmer of hope of pressing ahead for victory over India in the second test.
The left-handed opener followed up his hundred from last week's first test win in Melbourne with a stylish 123 to guide Australia to 282 for four at stumps in their second innings.
They accepted an offer to go off early for bad light on the fourth day at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Mike Hussey was also closing in on a century after ending the day unbeaten on 87 with all-rounder Andrew Symonds on 14 and Australia 213 runs ahead after trailing by 69 on the first innings.
Australia started the day on 13-0 and looking to score quick runs in the hope of pushing for a victory to equal their own world record of 16 consecutive test wins.
But their chances suffered a setback when they lost two wickets before lunch and two after tea while play was delayed three times because of rain.
A draw is now looming as the most likely result with more showers forecast on Sunday, although Hayden and Hussey have given Australia the chance of possibly making an early declaration to push for victory on the last day.
HITTING POWER
Hayden batted with a runner for most of his innings after injuring his right thigh but the problem did not effect his hitting power.
The Queenslander raced to his hundred off 160 balls and cracked a dozen boundaries in his 291-minute before he was caught by Wasim Jaffer off Anil Kumble in the last session.
Kumble then dismissed Michael Clarke for a golden duck when he found the edge and Rahul Dravid held a sharp catch at slip.
Hussey was dropped by Yuvraj Singh on 41 on the last ball of the morning session and made the Indians pay for their mistake by cruising past his half-century and sharing a 160-run partnership with Hayden.
The pair had come together early in the day after opener Phil Jaques departed for 42 and Ricky Ponting fell for one.
Jaques put on 85 with Hayden for the opening wicket but threw his wicket away when he holed out to Yuvraj in the deep off Kumble. Ponting was caught by Vangipurappu Laxman at silly point off the bowling of Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh.
The Indian leg spinner has dismissed the Australian captain eight times in eight tests and celebrated his latest success in boisterous fashion with an animated sprint towards the dressing rooms.
Harbhajan scored a half-century in India's first innings of 532 but is facing a charge of racial abuse after Ponting lodged a complaint against him following an incident with Symonds on Friday.