Of Symonds, sledging and holy cows

NAGPUR, October 14: India or Australia? Which team is the naughtiest word in cricket's current lexicon? This question demands an immediate answer because the language of intimidation exchanged has gone beyond such euphemisms as sledging and mental disintegration. #!*% to counter *&#- on the evidence of Sunday, it's now that kind of series.
"We'll see how this so-called new Indian team goes on our soil".That's Andrew Symonds quoted in the Sunday Telegraph. "Just because they have won the series doesn't mean that they can say whatever they want to." That's MS Dhoni, countering Symonds' comments in his column. Clearly, the verbal-sparring has already booked a bout in Australia.
Among other vitriolic lines, Symonds has this to say in newspapers abroad. On Team India: "Cocky" after the World T20 win. On Indian players: "It's like they are rock stars and princes... it's been irritating". On Sree Santh: "I was wild... right, I've had enough of this bloke". And so on.
If all that makes Symonds - and clearly he is not the only one on either side guilty of the offence culpable of getting dangerously personal and provocative, he and former Australian captain Ian Chappell, by launching veiled attacks on India as a country, and the nature of India's people as perceived by them, have crossed the line of control.
Symonds' views on India: "Never an easy place to tour, but I am surprised how hostile it has been". There's more: "The government gave them (the World T20 squad) a heap of money". How that is a problem for him defeats comprehension.
Chappell, in a column, apart from seeking disciplinary action against Sree Santh, goes as far as to advise the BCCI: "They should severely reprimand the person or persons who dreamed up the flawed tactic of India taking the Australians on at their own game in Australia, players regularly indulge in oneupmanship and the better ones thrive in this atmosphere." In Chappell's world, not only is Australian behaviour - however ugly - always justifiable, it is a flaw for Indians not to be timid.
Asked to explain these views by the Indian media, Symonds managed to be arrogant with a deadpan expression: "I've been fair and honest, not critical." And to clarifications sought on his joust with Irfan Pathan in the 32nd over of the Indian innings, his reply - delivered with sarcasm - was: "I was checking with the umpire the number of balls left in the over and I asked Irfan what the time was." But the truth is far more complicated.
While Chappell seemingly takes pride in the somewhat bullish mindset of his country's cricketers, Cricket Australia hasn't filed an official complaint despite the allegation that Symonds was taunted with monkey chants during the Vadodara ODI. Why? Since it is not the Australian way to be timid, as Chappell implies and justifies, this inadvertently raises doubts in suspicious minds about the authenticity of the incident. Add to that BCCI CAO Ratnakar Shetty's assertion that "We have not yet received any letter from the ICC (regarding the 'racism' issue)." Thereby hangs a tale.
Admittedly, cricketers - not all of whom are as capable with their choice of words as they are with bat and ball will live to regret saying the wrong things at the wrong time. Unfortunately, so will the game itself. Nobody would want cricket's colour to be neutered, but avoidable #!*% certainly makes cricket a lesser game.