Harbhajan's antics are unacceptable

It was very touching to read that Harbhajan Singh heroic man of the match in last Sundays IPL game against Deccan Chargers has dedicated his performance to the AmbanisBefore I start to write Bhajji said in his column in the Times of India yesterday I have to dedicate my performance to my franchise owners Mukesh bhai and Neeta bhabhi Ambani To me today they are like family they are a pillar of support and encouragementAll very charming except for one little fly in the ointment The irrepressible Sardar made no mention of his condemnable behaviour towards Chargers batsman T Suman for which he was fined 15000 by match referee Gundappa Vishwanath for a Level 1 offence article 214 relating to excessively audible or repetitious swearingHarbhajan SinghHarbhajan wrote with justifiable pride In the last few years I have taken my batting very seriously and have improved on my temperament and an eye on the right ball With the help of seniors I have really worked hard on this aspect and results are there for all to seeTrue true all too true as the record books show except for the temperament aspectLeave aside his behaviour towards opponents in Test and oneday cricket which have earned him opprobrium from umpires match referees the media and fans in India and abroad Harbhajans raffish behaviour in the three editions of IPL has been notably consistentThe first year saw him earn the wrath of match referee Farokh Engineer for slapping Kings XI pace bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth which resulted in his being banned from the remainder of the league with enormous loss of income as a consequenceLast year in South Africa the puckish Sardar conspicuously wellmannered off the field especially towards his elders lost his cool in a TV interview towards his best friend Sachin Tendulkar generally considered a holy cow in the game he reigns over for the shoddy manner in which he was handled as bowling spearheadHarbhajan told the media in Mumbai yesterday that he got excited after dismissing T Suman who had given the offspinner rough treatment in South Africa last year caught and bowled for 15 The redoubtable offspinners constant refrain that his aggression helps his performance is patently misconceived If anything it is selfdefeating In an implausible attempt at watering down the gravity of the situation it did not take any great expertise on the part of television viewers to lipread Harbhajans choice expletives Mumbai Indians director of cricket TA Sekhar described the incident as a heatofthemoment act and according to TOI asked that it not be made an issueSekhar deftly dodged leading questions about who will pay the 15000 fine u2013 the Turbanator or his Ambani family the pillars of his support and encouragement As I see it the illustrious family has an obligation to ensure that repeated dissolute behaviour of the kind exhibited by their star player does not tarnish their personal or business reputation which in any event is constantly under the microscope As his owners the Ambanis also have a duty to ensure that the maverick genius does not bring the bishbashbosh T20 game into disrepute while under their tutelage Its very well to indulge an amicable child prodigy its another to spare the rod spoil him rotten and let him endanger the familys imageThat said let me clarify that I am an unabashed admirer of the amiable Harbhajan as person as well as of his prodigious talent as bowler and now batsmanBut although I love Bhajji the phenomenal entertainer I could do without his wanton shenanigans Harbhajan bids fair to become the best offspin bowler India has produced u2013 and that is no mean achievement when you take into consideration the likes of the legendary Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivasu00a0 VenkataraghavanBut handsome is as handsome doesIf he hopes to achieve greatness the likeable Bhajji would do well to keep his selfconfessed but ballistic adrenalin in check u2013 the way his best mate and role model par excellence Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar does