Brief Comment on the Cricket

Few things have emerged, and will emerge, during the next couple of weeks. But let's assume the following:

• Bhajji doesn't get banned. As a matter of fact, he is not banned; the ICC have caved in to BCCI's demands. But after the proposed hearing let us assume he is free to play the rest of the series; or the Perth test, at least.


• Brad Hogg does/does not get banned. The irrelevance of this assumption will be discussed in detail later.


• Bucknor is removed (which has already happened), and we have error free umpiring for the rest of the series.

Now, here is a prediction of events that will unfold from the next test match. This isn't a wild prediction, but one would tend to agree, upon reading this, that it is certainly possible.

• The third test at Perth, having the quickest and bounciest wicket in Australia and, arguably, the world, would render Harbhajan's presence in the side unnecessary. He gets dropped from the Perth test.


• Brad Hogg's place in the side would similarly be surplus to requirements. A new monster, in Shaun Tait, whose pace could at times make Brett Lee look like a Venkatesh Prasad, is unleashed -- much like Lee was in 1999.


• Umpiring decisions would be largely irrelevant, as the Aussies would not even break sweat had they been asked to pick 15 Indian wickets per innings. The pace and movement would be just too much for us Indians. (May I suggest an innings defeat?) In hindsight, I am surprised how the last two tours to Australia never saw us play in Perth.

The only way India could have done anything to gain respectability in this tour would have been to have won in Sydney, accepted defeats in Perth and Melbourne, and tried to draw in Adelaide. Ideally, they could have batted sensibly in Melbourne but that is asking for too much.

Easier said than done, but surely, a repeat of 2003 was asking for too much anyway.

Which is why I was really keen on BCCI calling off the tour on the pretext of Harbhajan's 'racial abuse' situation -- in a damage limitation exercise. That way, we could say, we lost the first test and didn't really lose the second. In fact, some would lay claim to a 1-1 result. Heads held high, moral victory -- rhetoric that normally means more to us than actual wins.