Hayden calls spat a stray incident

Harbhajan-Sreesanth row Matthew Hayden has said the Harbhajan Singh-Sreesanth row left him upset but is confident it was a stray incident. Hayden, the Australian opener currently playing for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, also said he wouldn't use this to sledge either of them when Australia tour India later this year. "I was very upset, I just think we play this great game, in a great competition and both these guys are young men with enormous responsibilities as two fine players and prospects for the country that adores cricket and its cricketers," Hayden told Cricinfo. "So I am sure they will feel remorseful as any player would. Because I think any player who has risen to the top of the game obviously has enormous respect and enormous discipline to get there. Honestly, I think it will be tomorrow's headlines and life will move on. The game has always moved on." Asked whether he thought this was just a momentary lapse of reason Hayden said, "I think so, yes. I didn't think this was ever going to happen and I don't think it will happen again either. Hopefully not." Hayden had a famous run-in with Harbhajan during India's tour of Australia, where he called the offspinner a "little obnoxious weed". Would he use the latest incident between Sreesanth and Harbhajan as a sledging tool when Australia visit India in October? "No, I won't be," he says with emphasis. Is he drawing a moral line to sledging? "Yes, I think so. That is an incident between two individuals and I don't want to comment on their relationship and where they are at and how they are going. There is no point. All that does is just create another headline and I don't want to do that. I love the game of cricket and I have been really successful at the game of cricket, so I don't think I need to push that barrier. "It's the beauty of our game really; there is a gentlemanly aspect to the game and we get challenged on this. Australia has been nominated as the best sledgers and we get asked the question a lot of time but in reality its actually a mis-truth or certainly an exaggerated truth. What the world has done following the success of Australian cricket is to try and vilify us. And that's fair enough as the best in the world need to be taken down.So we always had to be on our guard and understand within that we need to address the issue before anyone else does. Hayden also said the Australian team has discussed the image of being the bad boys of international cricket and the ways of sledging. "You tell me what are these incidents of bad boys. I don't think we are. But yes, we senior players do sit together and work out where we want to go and how we want to play our cricket. Also, making comments can be distracting to some characters. If someone is forced to do that without it being a motivating factor then its trouble." He believes every team has a few characters that get involved in sledging. "I think in any given side, there are always two or three people that look to sledge. For e.g. In the Indian side, it would be Sreesanth, Harbhajan and [Robin] Uthappa. You wouldn't hear a boo out of Rahul [Dravid], MS [Dhoni] and [Anil] Kumble though they are all fiercely determined." Hayden also spoke about the art of sledging and how he would pick certain individuals for the treatment. "You choose your targets, really. I would never say anything to Sachin [Tendulkar], Rahul or Anil or anyone like that. I believe they have marked the test of time. We have been in battles together so many times and there is an enormous respect. Not that making comment is disrespect; making comment is trying to unsettle a player because you don't know whether that guy has the skills to deal with it. And that was exactly the same when I was young coming into the game. You expect to get that."

Is Harbhajan Singh a liability to Indian cricket?

Just as the BCCI is trying to improve the standing of Indian cricket, along comes the spin master to deliver a slap in the face of decency on the field. Players like Harbhajan and Sri Sreesanth need to be dealt with severely. 'If cricket wants to take on football through the success of the IPL, it needs to sort out players like Harbhajan and Sreesanth' Let’s do a quick recap on the behaviour model in modern-day cricket. There is a fiery young player who does a lot more than play cricket. His behaviour is erratic, he comments on the personal lives of opposition players. And, at times, he has the ability to bowl out a team. And if things do not go his way, he can slap - yes you heard it right - slap. It was a great sight to see how the Indian touring squad in Australia backed this player against various accusations. But the same player showed more of his uncultured side this week. We are talking about Harbhajan Singh. The spinner should be made to face the Indian nation which stood by him in Australia, after his dramatic slapping of Sri Sreesanth. What kind of precedent has he set for Indian cricket? The 11-match ban does not not fix the problem, a more severe ban would hardly have been questioned. The BCCI is supposed to be anti-sledging and against bad behaviour on the field. So let them stand up and make a statement confirming this line. Sreesanth is another undisciplined player who uses the cricket field like a stage for showmanship and acts of bizarre behaviour, rather than concentrating on bowling. If cricket wants to take on football through the success of the IPL, it needs to sort out players like Harbhajan and Sreesanth. The BCCI and Harbhajan are at the crossroads of image enhancement. It will be interesting to see how BCCI tries to make Indian cricket a gentleman’s game. They have talked the talk about improving the game's image. Now it is time for actions to speak louder than words. As for Harbhajan - this is not the first time he has had to face disciplinary action. He needs to think carefully about his future behaviour. If he does not improve his image, he will be remembered in the future more for issues around his behaviour rather than for his cricketing skills.