It seems Harbhajan can’t get out of all controversies unscathed. The latest “slapping” controversy has proved costly for Harbhajan with the Match Refree slapping an 11-match ban on Bhajji. That effectively ends his IPL stint. And I’m inclined to say he deserved it. This is not the first time Bhajji’s behaved like a 8-year old. Slapping folks is absurd behaviour in the game of cricket. I mean if you have something to say, let your bowling do the talking. Its stupid to get aggressive. I mean, agression is a part of cricket, and we’ve all agreed to draw the line at “sledging”. Say whatever you want, but absolutely no physical contact. The captains even signed a “spirit of the game” declaration at the start of the tournament, and the BCCI had made it abundantly clear right from the start that this kind of nonsense will not be tolerated. They’ve decided to make an example of Bhajji.
This has gone on for far too long with Bhajji. The controversy in Australia was border-line, and the Indian firmly stood behind him. But he’s been pushing his luck too far. This time he turned on one of his own. Absolutely unacceptable. Some folks in the blogosphere have made this about Sreeshant. The argument is that he behaved melodramatically with the crying and all. But that is beside the point. How Sreeshant reacted is a separate matter, and it doesn’t reduce the magnitude of what Harbhajan did. He totally deserved it.
The Australian media have predictably picked this up and flashed it all over. They’re still bitter (with some justtification) over the “maa ki - monkey” incident, and they’re eager to hang him for it. Well, he bought this upon himself.
Now this leaves the Mumbai Indians in a precarious situation. Sachin is still out injured, and they’ve lost 4 out of 4 games. Harbhajan’s outster couldn’t have come at a worse time.
