Gambhir's ban may be justified, but Watson let off with mild penalty

--By Rohit Raj

Irrespective of the allegations and racism charges levelled against match referee Chris Broad, one would definitely admit that Gautam Gambhir committed a serious blunder by elbowing Shane Watson in Kotla test. People can claim that Gambhir was provoked. But they must know that this is the kind of cricket Australians have been playing for long and that's why they have emerged as champs.

Kangaroos always target the players who are in best form. Remember, how they targeted Harbhajan Singh in last series. Now they have targeted Gautam Gambhir, who tormented them in this series. Aussies knew that Gambhir would fall prey to their trap because of short temper and that happened too. Gambhir should have known that any physical contact against the rival players would leave him in deep trouble. This is not at all permissible as per the ICC Code of Conduct.

Gambhir was once fined for an on-field spat with Shahid Afridi. One test match ban on Gautam Gambhir may be justified, but Shane Watson should not have been left with such a mild punishment (just 10% of his match fee). It will send a wrong message to the cricket community and will boost the morale of cunning Aussies. They know where to hit and how to get away with it. The Australians deserve "kudos" for fooling the world including rival players, umpires and match referees. They know what they are doing. They always have the last laugh.