THE MOHALI defeat has shocked the Australian team a lot and they are now under immense pressure. In the second Test of the ongoing Border – Gavaskar series, India scored a historic win by mammoth 320 runs. Australia, the number one team of the world could not maintain its supremacy and collapsed before the Indian attack.

Going down before India came as a big blow to its captain Ricky Ponting, whose Test record in India is not good. Infact, the loss has also dejected the Australian cricket fans and former players of the country. Seating thousands of miles away from India, the veteran cricketers of Australia came out with controversial statements to digest the defeat.

Comments like ‘Tendulkar is only good, not best’ was given by a senior cricketer. Shane Warne warned the Australian team that they have to prove their supremacy. But on Thursday (October 23), former Australian wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist questioned the honesty of Tendulkar during the Sydney Test in Harbhajan – Symonds spat.

Gilchrist in his autobiography has said that Tendulkar was a sore loser and questioned his honesty in the ‘Monkeygate’ issue, reported the daily ‘The Age’. A summarised version of Gilly’s autobiography will publish in ‘Good Weekend’ magazine.

Further terming Tendulkar’s testimony during Harbhajan Singh’s appeal as a ‘joke’, Gilchrist noted, “The Indians got him (Harbhajan) off the hook when they, of all people, should have been treating the matter of racial vilification with utmost seriousness.”

Gilchrist was particularly disappointed with Tendulkar’s behaviour. According to Gilchrist, Tendulkar had initially told the jury that he could not hear what was said. But during the appeal, which followed, Tendulkar said that Harbhajan used a Hindi term that sounded like ’monkey’ to Australian ears.

Gilchrist was convinced that Harbhajan was guilty and considered India’s threat to abandon the tour was ’a disgraceful act, holding the game to ransom unless they got their way’. He also wrote that there was vast difference in the manner the teams approached the game.

Praising the Australian mentality he said, “We play it hard and are then quick to shake hands and leave it all on the field. Some of our opponents don’t do it that way. Tendulkar, for instance, can be hard to find for a changing room handshake after we have beaten India. Harbhajan can also be hard to find. I guess it’s a case of different strokes for different folks.”

Gilchrist alongwith the then Australian team was satisfied with the verdict of jury’s decision set up to hear the Harbhajan – Symonds matter. Why Gilchrist did not say anything when the jury gave its verdict in favour of Harbhajan?

About Australian mentality, I can only say that the whole world knows how they behave on the field. For winning the match, they can stoop to any level of misbehaviour on the field.

In recent times, whenever the Indian team or subcontinent teams like Pakistan and Srilanka visited Australia, the host had created controversy on the filed. Questioning Tendulkar’s honesty who has escalated to new heights, could open fresh wounds and soar the enthusiasm of ongoing Test series.