It is about justice, not world domination

"No sooner does India protest some gross inequity, than some bloke ... will harangue the world about how India should not be allowed to control cricket. It is about justice, not world domination," says Prem Panicker in his rediff blog.

Here is the situation: An allegation has been made. The only available, credible evidence is the word of the man making the allegation on one side, the word of the person against whom the allegation was made on the other, and the word of Tendulkar in the balance. In India, such a case would have been dismissed out of hand - on the grounds that there is no evidence to prove the charge. Explain to us, if you will, what the principles of justice are in Australia - do you condemn first, and make up the reasons as you go along ... Can you, or anyone at all, explain how a judgment can be made against Harbhajan in this case?

None of this is to defend a player if he was in fact guilty, mind - the point being made is that neither we nor you know he is. One guy says he is guilty, he says he is not, and a player with international stature, with an unblemished reputation of close to two decades, says he is not guilty. So, sorry, we protest; we appeal the verdict; we await the appellate process - and if to your paranoid imagination all of that translates into India bidding for world domination, then so be it.

Meanwhile, the Indian cricket team attempted to relieve some of the pressure around the possible cancellation of the Australian tour by visiting Bondi Beach. Read a little about their sojourn, with audio bytes from Chetan Chauhan, the team manager, right here.