Bhajji - the cupboard of controversies

With Sudhir Nanavati banning Harbhajan Singh for 5 odis's and Sharad Pawar saying "The BCCI have also told him and any further misconduct on his part would invite a life ban.", it makes me wonder whether, if the statement in followed in word and spirit, Bhajji will last beyond the Test series in October against Australia given his strongly deplorable relations with them.

Bhajji's un-understandable hate exclusively for the Aussies seems to have stemmed way before the age of Andrew Symonds's or Mathew Hayden's establishment in the Aussie team. In his Debut series in Sharjah involving also New Zealand, he was found guilty of breaching ICC Code of Conduct for "pointing to the pavilion" after dismissing Ricky Ponting during an ODI in Sharjah. He was fined 50% of his match fee and given a one-match suspended ban. Whether that triggered Ponting to have a red-eye toward Harbhajan, thus building up to a opera series this january is a wild thought, but that instant was the beginning of a series of poor behavior throughout Bhajji's career.

Harbhajan was involved once again in another notorious test match ( though the match referee was the object of notoriety) when he was found guilty of breaching the ICC's Code of Conduct for showing dissent at an umpire's decision and attempting to intimidate the official with repeated appealing.

Coming back to Bhajji and Aussies, he went public with derogatory comments for the first time when he proclaimed the aussies as 'whiners', after the aussies labelled the surface sub-standard after losing the last test of a 2-1 victorious series which was played at such a bad surface in Mumbai's Wankhede stadium that made the match end in 2 and half days despite rain interruptions.

It seems he didn't leave aussie retired players even if they were the coach to the indian side. After a horrible stint for the indian side losing the champions trophy at home and a series in malaysia that they failed to reach the finals, he called coach Greg Chappell as a strict disciplinarian who had sought to instil fears and insecurity among team members. He later apologised for his comments.

Then started his stint that is fresh in the memory of everyone - the monkey chapter. It started in a one-day match in India in the series prior to their tour down-under. Andrew Symonds complained that he was abused by a section of the crowd. Later in the infamous Sydney test, all that we know happened and Bhajji had the BCCI rope in a kiwi official for the hearing, and went out saying he didn't call Symo a monkey, but a word in hindi meaning ba****d. And the nation was behind him all this while and Bhajji was made a hero.

And winning a series first time wasn't enough for him. He had to end the series by calling Hayden a liar. Atleast that was in response for being called a 'lil obnoxious weed'. But he want on to even question Gilchrist's credibility, one of 2 aussie players to visit the indian dressing room congratulating them on their perth victory.

And now after this slapgate with another bad-boy of the indian team ( is bhajji so bad that he can make another bad-boy cry like he needed preity zinta's hug to stop the tears???), it will feel like a big act of betrayal for the BCCI for making them a fool now. And with Nanavti and BCCI's verdict one is seriously left to wonder on how long this will go. Probably the weed is being pulled out now......

(with inputs from www.espnstar.com )