The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Mohali incident and BCCI’s duty

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Mohali incident and BCCI’s duty

Chennai: R.K. Raghavan, columnist and a former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, has issued the following statement on the Harbhajan Singh-Sreesanth issue:

“No cricket fan will be amused by what happened at Mohali. By all accounts, Harbhajan slapped a hapless Sreesanth, all because the latter made a gratuitous remark, ‘hard luck’, which a captain losing three successive matches could not stomach. This was barbaric conduct that deserves to be punished severely. A mere apology citing momentary loss of sanity will not be convincing and should not be accepted. Now we know who spoke the truth when Symonds complained against Bhajji in Australia. That was a shameful cover-up in which a magnanimous Sachin (Tendulkar) also took part and blotted his reputation. Ironically, Bhajji was standing in for an injured Sachin. It is time the latter came back to lead the Mumbai Indians if more disasters are to be averted. “I am sure a powerful lobby within the BCCI is already working overtime to save Bhajji. If they do so, they will be doing the greatest disservice to the cause of cricket. Twenty20 has already won ignominy through the so-called cheerleaders, whose public display of flesh is deplorable. It is widely believed that the BCCI has lost its sense of proportion because of unabashed Mammon worship.

“This is an opportunity for it to redeem itself and act correctly to restore discipline on and off the field. If they do not bar Harbhajan from first-class cricket for at least a year, they will be condemned by the cricket fraternity at home and abroad. They will also be sending the wrong signal to the Indian youth, whose propensity to indulge in violence at the slightest provocation is already a cause for concern. The BCCI is on trial. The entire nation will be watching. Sports Minister (M.S.) Gill has his work cut out for him so soon after taking office.”

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