All deals are off, declare Indians

[DesiChap]

All deals are off, declare Indians Jamie Pandaram January 12, 2008 TRUST between India and Australia has all but been lost, with Anil Kumble's teammates urging him not to continue with the gentlemen's agreement made with counterpart Ricky Ponting despite an impending meeting between the pair to sort out differences. India's players are particularly furious with Australian batsman Michael Clarke, and the Herald can reveal that they have advised Kumble to reject an offer to continue the pact - to trust a fielder's word on close catches - if Ponting offers it ahead of Wednesday's Test in Perth. Such a stance sets up an icy atmosphere for the anticipated truce talks between Kumble and Ponting, to be presided over by Ranjan Madugalle, an experienced match referee appointed by the International Cricket Committee as a peacemaker. India were flabbergasted by Clarke's actions during the second Test in Sydney - when he failed to walk after clearly edging the ball to first slip, and when he claimed a low catch on the final day - and it is largely those two incidents that have fuelled their mistrust. Kumble slammed Clarke in his Indian newspaper column yesterday, while other Indian players are totally opposed to the gentlemen's agreement on the basis that you cannot make an agreement with people you don't trust. "I'd like to point out that someone [Clarke] clearly edged the ball to slips in the second innings of the Sydney Test and stood there even when there was not an iota of doubt over the dismissal," Kumble wrote in the Hindustan Times. "He then claimed a catch that showed more than reasonable doubt and said he was 100 per cent certain it was clean. "At this point, a few days before the big Test at Perth, I can tell you that that behaviour will play a big role in my decision on the continuation of the agreement that Ricky and I had made before the series began. "We had decided that in the case of a disputed catch, we would take the word of the fielder concerned, if he was certain. But that agreement was based on the premise that come what may, whatever the situation, the fielder concerned would be completely straight on what happened. Now, there will obviously be a big question mark moving forward on that." However, admiration for Australia's uncompromising approach came from unlikely source yesterday when Sourav Ganguly said he could not help but envy the hunger that carried his opponents to victory in Sydney. "Sometimes things happen at the heat of the moment. But I also admired how desperate they were to win. That's not a bad thing in sport," the former Indian captain told Star Sports. "Some decisions didn't go our way. It hurt us. On the other side, it showed why they win so many Test matches." It was Ganguly who fell victim to Clarke's second-innings catch at second slip, and believes umpire Mark Benson should have consulted his colleague, Steve Bucknor, at square leg. "I thought he [benson] could have done a better job speaking to Steve Bucknor," Ganguly said. "The moment I nicked it I turned back and saw it didn't carry. But that's the way it is. It was agreed to stick by the captain's word and we have to stay with that. If it's a decision by the captains then I think in modern day cricket it's fine. But the umpires have a responsibility too. You can leave it to the fielders but the umpires have to make a judgment. I think the umpires should interfere if they feel it's a 50-50." Meanwhile, the Indians have laughed off suggestions that Andrew Symonds misheard Harbhajan Singh during their clash, which resulted in racism charges being successfully brought against the spinner. Websites and gossips have claimed Singh said "maa ki", an obscenity in the Hindu language, and that the Australian all-rounder believed he had been called a "monkey", which led to an official complaint. But the Indians will claim no such thing at the appeal, which is yet to be scheduled, and will maintain that nothing of the sort was said by Harbhajan. Kumble also dismissed claims that, in a phone call to apologise to Ponting after the incident, he admitted Harbhajan called Symonds a monkey. "Ricky, meanwhile, was just not willing to listen, nor see my point. When I offered to apologise as Bhajji's skipper, it was only to smooth things over. At no stage did I admit that he had made a racist remark, in fact, I said he had not," Kumble wrote. "Unfortunately, these days, when someone apologises, it is seen as either a sign of weakness or an admission of guilt." http://www.smh.com.au/news/cricket/all-deals-are-off-declare-indians/2008/01/11/1199988590669.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

[arkay]

I have a question. If India had signed this gentleman agreement, when Dhoni caught Symonds should he not have gone? Just curious, was wicket keeper also involved in the gentleman's agreement?

[DesiChap]

I have a question. If India had signed this gentleman agreement, when Dhoni caught Symonds should he not have gone? Just curious, was wicket keeper also involved in the gentleman's agreement?

Arkay there is a reason Kumble said "Only 1 teams playes with the spirit of cricket" It was pretty obvious India was playing 11 against 14 cheats (11 players, 2 umps and the 3rd ump)

[Dinx - the Jinx]

I have a question. If India had signed this gentleman agreement, when Dhoni caught Symonds should he not have gone? Just curious, was wicket keeper also involved in the gentleman's agreement?

valid qn... does anyone have an answer?

[Shehezaada]

I have a question. If India had signed this gentleman agreement, when Dhoni caught Symonds should he not have gone? Just curious, was wicket keeper also involved in the gentleman's agreement?

actually those are two seperate issues. The pact wasn't about walking...it was about catching bump balls and claiming them. Symonds is well within his rights to stay there.

[Guest dada_rocks]

I have a question. If India had signed this gentleman agreement, when Dhoni caught Symonds should he not have gone? Just curious, was wicket keeper also involved in the gentleman's agreement?

I have an answer as per bucknor ball did not touch bat so question of clean catch doesn't even arise..

[Guest dada_rocks]

Basically thugs words sud not have taken on face value.. BTW I have another question if both team decide they willl choose to take all decisions themselves or with the help of technology and come to some sort of agreement to this effect. Does that mean Umpire can be kicked out of match.. Just wondering......

[DesiChap]

lol Data valid point however with ICC valid points do NOT make sense

[DesiChap]

And why whould the Ponting want technology? He is getting majority of the decisions in favour of his team. He can just keep enjoy cheating and winning.

[Chandan]

Clarke makes up with Kumble Cricinfo staff January 13, 2008 Michael Clarke says Ricky Ponting stood tall in the week following the controversial Sydney Test © Getty Images Michael Clarke says he has cleared the air with Anil Kumble over two of the controversies that flared in the second innings of the Sydney Test. Clarke stood his ground after edging Kumble to first slip and then, as India were fighting to save the game, he claimed a catch off Sourav Ganguly while fielding in the slip cordon, although there were doubts over whether the take was clean. "I wanted to speak to Anil before I spoke to the media on both cases - the catch and my dismissal," Clarke said. "I still, to this day, feel 100% positive that I caught the catch fairly. I told him that and said with my dismissal that it was more out of shock and disappointment more than anything else. "Anil was very supportive and said 'mate I understand'. We've played a fair bit of cricket against each other and he knows I'm not the kind of person to try and harm the game; the last thing I'd want is to put the game in jeopardy." Kumble had criticised Clarke for not walking after edging to slip and called it "unsportsmanlike" behaviour. "Huss [Michael Hussey] and Haydos [Matthew Hayden] batted fantastic in the second innings, so I sat and waited for a couple of hours dying to get out and have a bat," Clarke said. "I was really excited to get out there and do well, with family and friends all at the game, after failing in the first innings. When I went to cut the ball and it come off my glove and went to slip it was more just the shock and disappointment of failing and getting my first first-baller in Test cricket. "In hindsight and if I had my time again, I wish I had just walked straight off the field. I hope it doesn't happen too many times, I hope I don't get too many ducks in Test cricket, but if it happens again, I'm certain I will react differently." Clarke would not be drawn on the Harbhajan-Symonds controversy but said there was no room for racism in the game. "That's why the ICC and the Indian board dealt with the stuff with spectators in India [during the ODI series in October]." He said he was not sure how Australia would have reacted if "we were in their shoes" but hoped that India would not boycott the series. "Fingers crossed I'm hoping they definitely stay for the rest of the Test series and the one-dayers because you look forward to every chance you get to play India. It's up to BCCI and Anil and whoever is in charge." Clarke said he was positive the Perth Test, which starts on Wednesday, would be played in the right spirit after the problems in Sydney. Australia will be pushing for their 17th consecutive Test victory, a triumph that would break the world record set by Steve Waugh's Australians between 1999 and 2001. "The Australians are keen as mustard to get out here and win this 17th Test match in a row," he said. "It's a reminder about why we are the best cricket team in the world, what we do to achieve such highs in all forms of the game except Twenty20 at the moment. I think he [Ricky Ponting] will want to remind us about that and make sure that we keep playing it like that for a long time." It might one day be Clarke who sets outs to guide an Australian side past the record again, as there has been much speculation that he is being groomed to eventually succeed Ponting as the Test captain. But Clarke said he was unsure how he would have handled the events of the past week had he been in Ponting's shoes. "Full credit to the way he has stood tall," Clarke said. "It's been a hell of a ride in the last week. I don't think many players have experienced what we've experienced. I think it's opened everybody's eyes as to how big this game of cricket is. You don't know until you are sitting in the chair, I don't know if I'd have handled it like Ricky; I am not sure how I would have approached it." _____________________________________________ I hope Kumble still cancels this foolish agreement, which should have never been made with these Australian players in the first place.

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[anbuchelvan]

Sometimes we give too much of importance to white skin.Like our captain who is in larva stage .Grow up Kumble.Do not cry .

[kilroy]

i still can't understand why he made that pact in the first place. dug his own grave i would say.

[anbuchelvan]

The crying baby kumble does not have any back bone and he is in larva stage.Shame on you .Again the bloody clarke is not going to walk and Hogg will call you bastard and you will cry in Perth also.:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:.My ten year old son behaves better than You and have more will power to stand against white and yellow skins.

[King]

The crying baby kumble does not have any back bone and he is in larva stage.Shame on you .Again the bloody clarke is not going to walk and Hogg will call you bastard and you will cry in Perth also.:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:.My ten year old son behaves better than You and have more will power to stand against white and yellow skins.

Strange post this one. I thought you only hated Rahul Dravid. Add to that list Anil Kumble now.