India vs Australia cricket, Gambhir to appeal against ban

by Sanjay Jha | October 31, 2008 at 02:46 am

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Indian cricket team has decided to appeal against Gautam Gambhir suspension for one match for breaching International Cricket Council (ICC) code of conduct during the ongoing 3rd Test match against Australia at the Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi.

Indian cricket board official N. Srinivasan said that for a Level 2 offence, the players have the right to appeal against the decision within 24 hours, and accordingly Gambhir will be lodging an appeal.

However his ban evoked a mixed reaction from former cricketers with some of them describing the punishment as harsh" while others justifying it, saying offences related to physical contact need to be dealt with strictly.

The ban rules him out of the fourth and final Test against Australia starting November 6 in Nagpur.

"India opener Gautam Gambhir has received a one Test ban after being found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the third Test against Australia in New Delhi," the ICC said in a statement.

Gambhir had elbowed Watson while taking a run on the opening day of the ongoing match after a heated exchange with the Aussie all-rounder.

The Indian met match referee Chris Broad this morning before the start of third day's play where he was informed of the penalty.

"The decision to find Gambhir guilty of a level 2 offence is indicative of the fact that any degree of physical contact is unacceptable," Broad said.

The hearing had been adjourned last evening to allow the match referee to review the evidence.

The opener pleaded guilty to a charge under Rule C1 of the Code (Level 2) which states that "players shall at all times conduct play within the spirit of the game."

Watson was found guilty of "verbally engaging" with Gambhir "in a manner that was not in keeping with the Spirit of Cricket" and fined 10 per cent of his match fee on Thursday.

Broad said Gambhir could have been charged under a stronger code according to the rules, but he decided on a lighter sentence as umpires Billy Bowden and Aleem Dar had highlighted the provocation by Watson.