Indian board to watch and wait

Harbhajan Singh: what fate awaits? © AFP Enlarge

The controversy surrounding Harbhajan Singh's bowling action settled down this morning when Sudhakar Rao, the Indian team manager, cleared the air. "We were given the report last afternoon and I have forwarded it to the board."

The news sent the Indian media in Chittagong into a tizzy late last night after officials at the Chittagong Test felt that there were doubts regarding Harbhajan's doosra - the ball that goes away from the right-handers. Rao, who had been swamped by telephone calls throughout, explained that there was no need to panic at the moment. "We have sufficient time because of the six-week period [stipulated by the ICC for the home board to take action]. And also the fact that we are not playing any international cricket ... [until the Pakistan series in February]"

The ICC has a well-documented multi-step process to deal with bowlers whose actions have been reported. "The board will take appropriate action and plan accordingly. I spoke with the secretary, SK Nair, who confirmed this matter."

It was also confirmed that the doubts about Harbhajan's action, in particular his doosra, cropped up only during the second Test at Chittagong. Harbhajan, who was at the team hotel, did not comment publicly on the issue, but he has spoken with the captain and coach and will train with the team on Tuesday afternoon.