Monday, January 28, 2008

Yet another defeat of mind game on the cricketing field

Yet another defeat of mind game on the cricketing field

As it was predicted Adilede test match between India and Australia ended with the assured and planed result by Australian players of draw. Though in the pre lunch session on the fifth and final day Indians scored runs at strike rate of about 4 runs per over but again Australians with slow over rate of just 12-13 over per hour succeeded in keeping India deprived of to be with time for declaring second inning and sufficient time to bowl out Australia in the second inning.
Adilede proved the surface of liking of Ricky Poiting [who criticized Perth pitch for being more supportive for bowlers and Australia lost the test in four days] as here five batsmen succeeded in hitting the knocks of ton, 3 from Australia and Sachin and Shewag from India. The Adilede will be remembered for the Yet another century by master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, 100 test wicket and 1000 test run double by Irfan Pathan and retirement of Australian star wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist.
Fifth day’s play of cricket was also witness the reintroduction of famous Australian non cricketing tool called “mind game” into the playing arena. The Australians, who are at back foot on the moral grounds and in the fields of sportsmanship, came forward with statement of producing some new evidence in the case of so called racial comments allegation against the Indian off spinner Harbhajan Singh. The new evidence is the transcript of recording by stump camera. I don’t think that ICC match referee Mr. Proctor had ignored this, in the conditions of lack of decisive evidences and even when the ground umpires were not supporting the allegations. Surely Mr. Proctor had gone through this before reaching to decision. As I recall in those this news was in the air that stump camera were unable to record the conversion between Harbhajan and Symonds. So the question is now from where this recording is made available? If the ICC match referee Mr. Proctor in these conditions had ignored this important aspect, surely it will prove more than sufficient for putting a question mark on the reliability and ability of ICC officials.
To me this has nothing to do with evidences; all this was the part of mind game tool of Australians players aiming to disturb Indians players so might like the Sydney test they got out cheaply and Australians will have a go for easy victory target. Unfortunately Indians have started to understand the game plans and non cricketing tactics adopted by the Australians over the period of last 10-15 years with more clarity than past and started to answer in their language, Shewag slow down his game in post lunch session and till tea in the play of 2 hours scored less than 30 runs and make sure that Australian game plan “mind game” ends with failure.
Anyway the test match series is completed but the forthcoming ODI series is still hanging in the atmosphere of speculations and doubts. In the next 48 hours appeal of Harbhjan will get decision from the ICC appeal commissioner. Indians player and BCCI are determined to withdraw from the series in case of adverse decision. Practically also They should be, because there are no decisive evidence supporting allegation, Symonds already admitted that he was the initiator for the disputed conversation between him and Harbhajan, Hyden is unable to recall the words of Symonds, ground umpires are not supporting the allegations and above all the most trusted personality of cricketing world Sachin Tendulkar, who was at pitch with Harbhjan at that time had endorsed Harbhjan’s statement of not using word “Big monkey” for the Symonds.

Let us hope for the justice and lifting of the bam from Harbhjan so the cricketing nations may remain united and should not divide on the racial and regional grounds.

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