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One more blow has been served to the Indian cricket team in Australia. Harbhajan has been banned from playing from 3 tests. In a combined protest from Indian team and the cricket BCCI, have decided to hold the tour until final decisions have been taken by the cricket gorverning body ICC on the Harbhajan and umpiring issue.

Harbhajan was called for hearing by the match referee. He was accompanied by Sachin, Kumble, the team manager and the media manager. After hearing the allegations from Symonds, Ponting, Gilchrist,etc, it was decided by the panel that Harbhajan has done Level 3.3 offence. Thus he was banned from playing from 3 test matches with immediate effect.

The hearing panel did not pay any heed to Sachin`s words or Harbhajan`s words who kept insisting that he did not make any racial comments against Symonds. It only heard the allegations from the Australian side and decided on the course of the action.

Meanwhile ICC have told that Steve Bucknor will officiate the next test also. And this, despite all the mistakes in making decisions, he and his 2 other colleagues have done reapetedly. ICC said that it has nothing to do because there`s an agreement signed by the captains from both the teams that umpiring demcisions wil be final and binding for the test matches.

A lot of meetings were held after the decision on Harbhajan was taken between the team members and the management. The sentiment of the team was convened to the BCCI and it was finally decided that the rest of the tour will be on hold until any final decision is taken on these 2 matters.

Somehow I really feel that India have been targeted in a planned way. In my opinion, Ponting alone or with few of his senior teammates like Hayden,Gilchrist, Symonds etc have infact threatened the umpires and/or bribed them so that the decisions are taken in Australia`s favour. This might have been done to break Steve Waugh`s record of wining 16 test matches consecutively.

The whole cricketing world have seen the `judgements` taken by the umpires. It was so astonishing as to how harsh decisions were taken against Indian team.

Another most astonishing attitude which I have been noticing is that no one from India is talking about calcelling the 2nd test match or declaring it unofficial. Whatever happens now, these things will not be mentioned in the records where it will be written that Australia won the 2nd test in Sydney against India and equalled the record with Steve Waugh`s team of winning 16 test matches consecutively.

Australian media as well as former players also have vented their anger on Ponting as well as on the whole Australian team. Newspapers have carried out polls in which it clearly showed that general people were also stunned by their national team`s attitude towards the game. Few former players have even told that Ponting must be sacked immediately!

I am sure these things will go a long way until the whole issue is solved.