Sydney, February 5
Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds may patch up soon — thanks to an Indian chewing gum manufacturer's offer to make a television advertisement in which the two warring players are supposed to say “Gum Mein Hai Dum (This gum has power)”.
“An Indian chewing gum manufacturer could bring a quirky end to cricket’s great racial spat by doing what the game’s top officials couldn't ... It is understood initial feelers have already been sent out to the warring cricketers and they will examine the proposal in the coming weeks,” said Daily Telegraph newspaper.
“The extraordinary proposal could cool tensions between Harbhajan and Symonds who have been at each others' throats since the combustible Sydney Test where Harbhajan allegedly called the Australian a monkey,” it
said.
Harbhajan, in a second hearing by a New Zealand High Court Judge, was let off with a 50 per cent fine, instead of the three-Test suspension imposed by match referee Mike Proctor, after the charge could not be proved.
India lost the four-Test series 1-2.
“Symonds has since told how his blood boiled when he had his integrity questioned after Harbhajan escaped with a fine for obscene language after a controversial appeal hearing in Adelaide,” it wrote.
“Harbhajan is arguably the most unpopular man in Australia at the moment and has been booed by over 100,000 fans at matches in Melbourne and Brisbane since late last week.” Indian team management, meanwhile, has put the players on red alert to watch for any troublemakers targeting
Harbhajan, according to the paper.
“Players have been asked to be aware of their surroundings, look around and be alert if any mischief is waiting to happen,” a top Indian board official was quoted as
saying. — IANS
