Harris slams Sreesanth for 'verbal assault'

Sreesanth and Smith were involved in a verbal altercation which ended with the South African captain wagging his bat at the bowler. Two overs later, the left-handed opener lost the battle when he tried to fetch the paceman from outside off, but merely managed to top-edge a pull.

Without any knowledge, or evidence, of Sreesanth’s alleged misdemeanours – by his own admission – Harris launched into an extraordinary tirade. “Graeme doesn’t normally react, it might have been a personal comment. I know Sreesanth has said a few personal things on the field, which is not great and we don’t condone that. If he wants to do that, he can do that,” he said, seemingly magnanimously. “It must have been something personal for Graeme to react the way he did.”

Pointedly asked if he had had any experience in this series so far of Sreesanth getting personal with anyone in his ‘sledging,’ Harris replied, “Not that I am aware of.” Then, he brought his deductive skills into play. “For Graeme to act the way he did -- we all know Graeme really well, he doesn’t react to situations like that. If it was personal -- and I have heard it was -- I think we should cut that out of the game. We want to see it played hard on the field, but not getting personal. That’s where we draw the line, it’s a fine line.”

In his own elegant, under-stated manner, VVS Laxman said India too had been at the receiving end of several South African barbs over the first eight days of the series. “It’s a series between two top teams,” the classy right-hander said. “In a keen tussle like that, it is bound to happen. It’s not only that Sreesanth said something to Graeme Smith; even their bowlers came at us hard. It’s bound to happen because both the teams want to win this game badly, and when the intensity at which the game is played is high.”

Funny, how the Proteas must speak of ‘personalised sledging’ when the match is poised on a razor’s edge. Not, of course, that the Indians are taking any notice.