Sreesanth - Bhajji Controversy

[CSK Fan]

Sreesanth minus his antics/boorish behavior is not worth any attention as a player. He has some pace, and takes wkts occasionally, but in general he is a waste. The trick is when someone behaves likes this and becomes known for "hot temperament", "volatile attitude" etc...it immediately translates as "oh what talent, if only he could temper his attitude"...the talent factor seems to be taken for granted by uninformed news anchors and non cricketing media and superficial followers of the game. Some players know this and play their cards wisely. I have my own doubts as to whether Sreesanth is really temperamental. All this pumping of the hands to "steady and calm" himself seems too much of a show. In fact I remember an interview last year when L Balaji and Sreesanth were speaking to a pressman in the MRF pace foundation last year. Balaji openly called Sreesanth " you are a showman, arent you? " and even refused to take back his statement and the journalist went ahead and printed it. In cricket these days, one needs to be media savvy, newsworthy and do that "extra thing" apart from cricket itself, so that one's worth in terms of value goes up, Sreesanth is just a result of the system that has bred these values.

Bhajji too has been carrying himslelf in the team for the last 2 years with his "agression" and "attitude".

[Guest HariSampath]

^...Not really, Bhajji has performed way better than Sreesanth, for India. he was very good at the t20 wc, did reasonably in Aus, was MoS against Saf at home. He contributes with the bat, and even in the current IPL had batted brilliantly. But his non cricket antics are way over the top....and much as I strongly condemn slapping, I cant help feeling it went to the most deserving member of the Indian team. Even on the match thread , before all this was made public, I was posting on how Sree had been most unnecessarily sledging Mumbai players, and even the #10 Khote was sledged by Sree. For me, Bhajji is seriously skilled, has done FAR MORE than Sreesanth to win so many tests/series/ODIs/tournaments for India than Sree , but yes his attitude makes the news more. In the T20 wc, for me the Indian challenge was seriously under threat when Aussies needed 30 runs off 18 balls with 5 wkts in hand and Michael clarke playing....we would hace certainly lost the semis, but Bhajji bowled Clarke and helped us win the game and later the cup....he is a big occasion performer and a very talented offspinner and fighter.

[Sachinism]

Umpire faces ban for comments on Bhajji row The IPL management appears to be extremely serious about not allowing the controversy involving Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth to escalate any further. Umpire Amiesh Saheba, who was quoted in a regional newspaper as saying that Sreesanth was provoking Mumbai Indian players during the match has been sent a notice to explain his comments. Saheba has been given 48 hours to reply to that notice and faces a two-match suspension. Saheba, who was officiated the game, had said that Sreesanth had commented on the other players in the opposition team and the senior umpire on the field, Aleem Dar, had also been informed about the incident. He went on to claim that the bowler was warned twice during the game. He also said that he was not asked by match referee Farokh Engineer to testify in the case. The decision of the panel concluded that the attack from Harbhajan was 'unprovoked'. source: cricketnext

[jf1gp_1]

here is what I don’t understand how come not one person had anything negative to say abt Sreesanth or even Bhaji when they were giving it back to the aussies. I was watching harsha bhogle, sunny and i think ravi's reaction when Sreesanth's dance after he hit Nel for 6. All seemed very pleased. Everyone was pumping Sree to misbehave and now the very same set of ppl want him warned/banned/punished. What sree did was no different than what Symond or gilly did in few of IPL games. So why point at sree alone ? There is no justification to what bhaji did but lets not crucify sreesanth. Lets not pick a chose opponents against whom he can be aggressive either ask him to tone down or give him a free hand.

[PaiN_KiLLeR]

Umpire Amiesh Saheba has been banned by the BCCI for talking to the media about the Mohali slapgate incident.

[veer]

Saheba suspended for remarks on Sreesanth Saheba suspended for remarks on Sreesanth A day after banning temperamental spinner Harbhajan Singh [images] for a minimum of 11 matches, the Indian Premier League on Tuesday cracked the whip on umpire Amish Saheba by suspending him for two matches for his remarks against pacer S Sreesanth [images]. Saheba was subjected to disciplinary action for making a statement to a Mumbai newspaper about Sreesanth's conduct during the match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab in Mohali where Harbhajan had slapped the Kerala [images] speedster. In the interview to the newspaper, Saheba said that Sreesanth indulged in sledging right through the match. "The IPL governing council has withdrawn Amish Saheba's appointment for two matches of IPL," a BCCI release said. Apart from being suspended for two matches, Saheba has also been asked to explain to the BCCI his remarks to the newspaper. "The Board of Control for Cricket in India has sought explanation from the umpire Amish Saheba about his statements appearing in Mumbai Mirror regarding the behaviour of Sreesanth in the match between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings at Mohali," the release said. BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said that Amish Saheba should have informed the match referee about Sreesanth's conduct instead of going to the press. Harbhajan was on Monday banned from the IPL for slapping the Kerala fast bowler and was fined a whopping Rs three crore by match referee Farokh Engineer after a two-hour long disciplinary hearing. Sreesanth was also warned that his on-field behaviour will be closely monitored from now on. --- forget about saheba.. i am losing respect for sreesanth.. that guy will be thrown out of team soon if he keeps doing this..

[Ram]

Honestly think Sreesanth should take a couple of months off from the game and let all the controversy subside.

[Feed]

Cannot be construed as punished twice: Nanavati Jaipur: Sudhir Nanavati, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed as Commissioner to enquire into the Harbhajan Singh-Sreesanth slapping incident told The Hindu that the IPL and BCCI were two legal ... More... Cannot be construed as punished twice: Nanavati Special Correspondent Jaipur: Sudhir Nanavati, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed as Commissioner to enquire into the Harbhajan Singh-Sreesanth slapping incident told The Hindu that the IPL and BCCI were two legal entities and therefore in the event of Harbhajan Singh being punished by the BCCI, it would not constitute a case of a person being punished twice for the same offence. “The IPL is a registered body and a Trust with Mr. Lalit Modi as its Chairman and Commissioner. The IPL has its own rules and it follows the ICC Code of Conduct. Moreover, Harbhajan has signed a contract with the IPL and hence he cannot object to the penalty imposed upon him by the IPL.” Nanavati, a senior advocate of the Gujarat High Court and also the Chairman of the BCCI Finance Committee, said that Harbhajan was contracted with the BCCI and his offence gave the BCCI the right to start an inquiry under Rule 32 of its constitution. But, for example, had it been Ravindra Jadeja (Rajasthan Royals) the BCCI could not have done so because he’s not a contracted player of the BCCI and only the IPL could have because he (Jadeja) too has signed a contract with the IPL,” he said. Citing another example, Mr. Nanavati said: “An employee is suspended from service, or his rank is reduced and a police complaint filed because he has committed a fraud. Then the incriminating court adjudicates an imprisonment sentence. Does it constitute the employee being punished twice? No. “Harbhajan has been punished by the IPL and it’s up to the BCCI to decide whether to punish him or not,” he added.

[h4te]

doesn't he know the rues? why did he speak to the media? he's dumb!

[guju24]

i think sree deserve that slap for sure...some times he is crossing limits..

[bobbydhillon]

actually bhaaji was right to certain degree, he should have ***** slapped sree few more times

[Desi Cartman]

doesn't he know the rues? why did he speak to the media? he's dumb!

yes I agree but I think someone got him to speak out ... Why else would he talk. Everybody knows that officials are not allowed to discuss these things

[Feed]

Saheba denies giving interview Umpire Amish Saheba, suspended for two IPL matches for comments attributed to him, denies giving any interview, in his reply to the BCCI show cause. More... Umpire Saheba denies giving newspaper interview Press Trust Of India Mumbai, May 02, 2008 First Published: 14:20 IST(2/5/2008) Last Updated: 14:58 IST(2/5/2008) Umpire Amish Saheba, suspended for two IPL matches for comments attributed to him over the Harbhajan Singh-S Sreesanth spat in a Mumbai newspaper, has denied having talked to any reporter on the controversy in his reply to the show cause notice issued to him by the BCCI. "He (Saheba) has categorically denied giving any kind of interview to the publication in question in his reply to the show-cause notice issued to him by the BCCI," stated Board Secretary Niranjan Shah in a media release on Friday. "As far as the subject of publication in Mumbai Mirror is concerned, I may state that no person has spoken to me in person and/or telephone, or taken any interview putting up any question to me, whereby I was asked to give any answer as reported in the daily," Saheba has said in his reply. The umpire has added that a reporter of Ahmedabad Mirror visited his residence on April 28, a day before his 'comments' appeared in the newspaper and its Mumbai counterpart, to take his photograph. "I was not given to understand that he wants my photograph for any of the report, which ultimately came to be published in Ahmedabad Mirror as well as Mumbai Mirror. I never knew that for this purpose he is taking the photographs. There was no such type of conversation or communication," Saheba said.

[nospam]

Sreesanth - Bhajji Controversy Tape rules umpire out on Bhajji-Sree slapgate

Following the slapping of Sreesanth by the Mumbai Indians stand-in skipper, one of the umpires in the match, Amish Saheba, was quoted by a Mumbai newspaper as saying that Bhajji was indeed provoked by the Kerala pacer into slapping him. Saheba later denied having spoken to any reporter on the controversy in his reply to the show cause notice issued to him by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) even as the cricket board suspended him for two matches. The BCCI also agreed with Saheba's reply that he had not given any interview on the Harbhajan-Sreesanth spat. But CNN-IBN has an audio tape of Saheba's conversation with Tapan Joshi of the Mumbai Mirror and Dhvanit of Radio Mirchi exposing his denial. Not just that, thousands heard that interview since it was broadcast live on the radio channel.

Source + Transcript : CNN IBN Audio : CNN IBN

[zaheer]

Did Rajput clap when Bhajji slapped Sree? Himanshu Kaushik | TNN Ahmedabad: Video evidence placed before BCCI-appointed commissioner Sudhir Nanavati in the Harbhajan-Sree Santh slapping row shockingly shows Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput applauding the act. Sources in the BCCI said Nanavati, an Ahmedabadbased lawyer who was in Mumbai on Tuesday to conduct the probe, was shown the video of the ugly incident which took place after an IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Team Mohali on April 25. “What I saw was shocking but it has made my job easier. It will also help me in further investigation,’’ Nanavati said after viewing the footage at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. IPL chairman Lalit Modi, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah and joint secretary M P Pandove were present at the screening. Nanavati also took the statement of match referee Farokh Engineer who had fined Rajput 50% of his match fee while banning Harbhajan for 11 matches. Nanavati is understood to have told those present at the screening that the attack on Sree Santh seemed to have been pre-meditated by Harbhajan and, from the reaction that it evoked from Rajput, he needs to now find out whether Rajput was privy to the plan. Nanavati is likely to question Rajput who is seen standing right behind Harbhajan during the incident. Nanavati, who is expected to submit his report to board president Sharad Pawar on Monday, has spoken to umpire Amish Saheba. Harbhajan and Sree Santh have been asked to appear before Nanavati on Friday in Ahmedabad. Source : TOI

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Bhajji appeals to BCCI for 'one more chance' A beleaguered Harbhajan Singh appeals to the BCCI to give him "one final chance" before taking disciplinary action against him. More... Bhajji appeals to BCCI for 'one more chance' Have your say Slapgate: Should BCCI consider Bhajji's appeal? Have your say... Press Trust Of India New Delhi, May 07, 2008 First Published: 15:10 IST(7/5/2008) Last Updated: 16:01 IST(7/5/2008) Faced with the possibility of being banned for a few matches by the BCCI, the beleaguered Harbhajan Singh has appealed to the Cricket Board to give him "one final chance" before taking disciplinary action against him. The 27-year-old off-spinner, who has already been banned by the IPL organisers for rest of the tournament for slapping his India teammate S Sreesanth, has written a fresh letter to the BCCI just two days ahead of the disciplinary hearing to be conducted by the Board-appointed Commissioner Sudhir Nanavati in Ahmedabad. In his letter, Harbhajan said he had apologised to Sreesanth after the incident in Mohali and was willing to do it again in public, NDTV reported on Wednesday. "Along with accepting my most sincere and heartfelt apologies over this incident, I would like to appeal to the Board's sense of fairplay and ask for one final chance before taking any disciplinary action against me over this incident," he said in the letter. Although the IPL governing council has already penalised him, the BCCI will also punish him separately for the level 4 offence as per the ICC Players' Code of Conduct. A level 4 offence leads to a maximum punishment of a life ban or a minimum ban of five Tests or 10 one-day internationals. When contacted, BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said Harbhajan has been writing a number of letters and it was not proper for him to divulge the contents. "The inquiry is going on. We are waiting for the report," Shah said. Despite the IPL organisers punishing his for the offence, the BCCI will also take disciplinary action against the controversial spinner who has a history of breaching code of conducts. A top BCCI source said that the Board would take disciplinary action against Harbhajan as such incident should not have happened on the cricket field. With the BCCI determined to crack the whip there was widespread speculation that Harbhajan could be handed out a 10-match ODI ban and also fined for the offence. Nanavati said the footage of the incident did not indicate that there was any provocation for Harbhajan to behave in such a manner. "I will have to talk to some more people like (Kings XI Punjab captain) Yuvraj Singh, (Mumbai Indians coach) Lal Chand Rajput or Mohali the team manager to find out if there was any provocation," he said. If Nanavati finds that there was no provocation, he could recommend a more severe punishment for the troubled spinner which means that the quantum of the ban could be higher. Nanavati had yesterday said that he was shocked after seeing the video footage of the incident and will submit his inquiry report on the matter to Board President Sharad Pawar on Monday. "What I saw was shocking but it has made my job easier. It will also help me in my further investigation. I have also summoned them (Harbhajan and Sreesanth). They have been told to come either on Friday or Saturday. Harbhajan will be coming on Friday. Sreesanth is yet to confirm a date," the Ahmedabad lawyer said.

[Guest HariSampath]

Bhajji's goose is well and truly cooked; he knows it and that's why he is all out apologising tearfully. Nanavati seems to be inclined to throw the book at Bhajji from his statements :haha:

[sreej]

Another twist in the tale.. Not just a slap, Bhajji-Sree had a fist-fight New Delhi: The April 25 slap-gate involving Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth threatened to turn uglier before teammates and security guards separated the volatile cricketers from a fisticuff. After Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth, said a news channel, the standoff prolonged for a few minutes which saw the off-spinner, banned for the rest of the Indian Premier League, having another go at the pacer, nudging and abusing him. According to the channel, which claimed to have had a look at the video footage, Harbhajan had another go at Sreesanth after he had slapped him while shaking hands with rival players after the match. Sreesanth, on his part, was not ready to take it lying down and he too lunged at Harbhajan before teammates held him back. The slapping cost Harbhajan nearly Rs three crore in fine and saw him being banned from the remainder of the ongoing IPL while Sreesanth was let off with a warning by Match Referee Farokh Engineer. Harbhajan faces further punishment from BCCI which has appointed Advocate Sudhir Nanavati as Commissioner to probe the incident and submit his report to Cricket Board chief Sharad Pawar. Source : http://cricketnext.com/news/not-just-a-slap-bhajjisree-had-a-fistfight/31418-13.html

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Hearing over, Nanavati's report on Monday "All the proceeding of the investigation is over and now I don't need to talk to any player or official in this case. I've all the evidence ...," Nanavati said after the probe. More... Investigation over, Nanavati to submit report on Monday Press Trust Of India Ahmedabad, May 09, 2008 First Published: 17:50 IST(9/5/2008) Last Updated: 18:23 IST(9/5/2008) In the dock for slapping his India teammate S Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh on Friday appeared for another disciplinary hearing before the BCCI-appointed Commissioner Sudhir Nanavati who said the probe is over and he will submit his final report on on Monday. "All the proceeding of the investigation is over and now I don't need to talk to any player or official in this case. I'm satisfied with the answers of both Sreesanth and Harbhajan. I've all the evidence that I need to prepare the report," Nanavati told reporters after the hearing. He said both the players were very supportive and co-operating during the proceeding. "I talked to Harbhajan for one hour and 15 minutes and 30 minutes with Sreesanth. They were quite friendly during the hearing," the advocate said. Mumbai Indians' stand-in skipper Harbhajan slapped Kings XI Punjab pacer Sreesanth after the April 25 IPL match in Mohali, which saw the off-spinner being banned from the remainder of the IPL, apart from losing nearly Rs 3 crore of match fee. BCCI slapped him a showcause notice for his behaviour before appointing Nanavati to probe the incident. The hearing took place at the Gujarat Law Society building where Nanavati arrived at around 1400 hrs, followed by BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah. The hearing started at 1430 hrs after Harbhajan arrived, while Sreesanth came to the place around 1530 hrs.

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Both players keen to move on - BCCI commissioner The BCCI-appointed commissioner has said that both Sreesanth and Harbhajan indicated separately that they would want to move on from the incident. More... Harbhajan-Sreesanth row Both players keen to move on - BCCI commissioner Ajay S Shankar May 10, 2008 Sreesanth arrives in Ahmedabad for a meeting with Sudhir Nanavati © AFP Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth offered to share a room, had lunch together and told Sudhir Nanavati, the BCCI's probe commissioner, during his hearing on Friday into their controversial face-off after an Indian Premier League match last month, that they would prefer to forget the incident and move on from there. "I could see that this came directly from their hearts," Nanavati told Cricinfo. "Officials have told me that Harbhajan and Sreesanth offered to share a hotel room as they were scheduled to be in Ahmedabad for the hearing for only a few hours. Sreesanth told me later that they had lunch together." Nanavati said that both indicated separately that they would want to move on from the incident. "They looked like they have gotten over the incident and they said were keen to forget that such a thing ever happened. But the law will have to take its course, otherwise no offence will go punished," he said. The BCCI had appointed Nanavati, a senior lawyer, to compile a fact-finding report into the controversial incident on April 25 in Mohali when Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth, his India team-mate and IPL rival, after a match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab. The board's disciplinary panel will review the report before deciding whether Harbhajan, who was leading the Mumbai team in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, should be punished separately after the IPL banned him for the first season. Nanavati said that it was clear from the evidence that the incident happened and what he would now have to study are the factors leading to it. "Most of what happened is very clear and it will take me just a couple of hours to prepare my report, which I will do on Sunday. I will basically have to apply my mind to why the incident happened. There are some other questions I will attempt to answer: why was only Sreesanth slapped and not anyone else? Why did the incident happen immediately after that match?" Nanavati, who is also a senior BCCI official, admitted that the last 15 days has been the most "high-profile period" of his life and revealed that he had got over a hundred phone calls and emails from Indian cricket fans, most of whom he didn't know at all. "Some of them were very sentimental, and I can say that over 80% of them wanted me to forgive Harbhajan. Of course, few of them knew that my job was not to deliver a verdict but simply hold a mirror to the incident," he said. But personally, Nanavati said, he would cherish the fact that he didn't get a single phone call from any BCCI official to discuss his investigation or from any former or current player. "The other thing I will remember is the delight on the faces of my grandchildren when they saw me on TV almost every day." Nanavati is expected to submit his findings to Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, on Monday.