Australian media reported yesterday that India's Harbhajan Singh directed monkey gestures at the Sydney crowd in Sunday's one-day international. The Australian newspaper said the spin bowler was under investigation from match referee Jeff Crowe.
Harbhajan was given a three-Test ban for allegedly calling Australian allrounder Andrew Symonds a monkey during the contentious second Test match in January.
After an appeal by India and threats they would abandon the Australian tour, the racism charge was downgraded to verbal abuse by the International Cricket Council and a fine replaced the original ban.
The ex-High Court judge who heard the appeal also was critical of Symonds' attitude in the match.
Symonds, who has West Indian heritage, was taunted with monkey gestures by Indian crowds during a limited-overs tour last year, had reportedly told Harbhajan before this Australian summer that he believed the taunts were racist and offensive.
The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday quoted a spectator saying Harbhajan made monkey gestures at the crowd soon after he'd dismissed batsman Matthew Hayden for 82 on Sunday.
Harbhajan, who had earlier dismissed Symonds for 31, had celebrated Hayden's wicket by shadow boxing with teammate Yuvraj Singh.
That was a veiled comeback to comments last week by Hayden, who was reprimanded for calling Harbhajan an ``obnoxious weed'' and saying in a radio interview that he would not mind facing Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma in the boxing ring.
India team manager Bimal Soni reacted angrily to the latest claims.
"I think it is wrong," Soni told the Australian Associated Press. "Nothing has been done like that. They are making a mountain out of a mole hill. He did nothing."
"These stories I do not believe them and I strongly condemn them," he said.
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