Sania, Bhajji and Mera Bharat Mahaan

Thus Bhajji's lawyers will argue that since heaping abuse on Symond's mother is not deemed "racial" the whole fracas is a futile exercise. Therefore, uttering "monkey" because of the peculiarity of Symond's contextual case was a far more serious charge. Wow! Of course, Bhajji can happily further buttress his cause by the simple argument that in a similar vein of a "cultural assessment" he was in fact complimenting Symonds by attributing the superhuman skills of our Hindu mythological Lord Hanuman on him.

Not to be outwitted, Brad Hogg, will smugly sip martinis in the swimming pool, as the word "bastard" is not in the banned list of bad words that invokes punishment, according to the joker association, ICC (International Cricket Council. So, by that ridiculous logic don't be surprised if at Perth more complimentary terms are causally exchanged between Ricky Ponting's men and Anil Kumble's team, simply because they are not in the prohibited category.

"Hi bastard, hello bastard" -- no sweat, folks that will be termed "cool" by ICC bosses. After all how many conceivable terms of charitable misuse can be encrypted on a holy list of "offensive terms?" Poor ICC!

What is clearly evident from the above examples is that the ICC (International Cricket Council), the governing body for international cricket, has become even more of a standing joke. I recommend that instead of Mr Sharad Pawar, we should nominate Indian top comedian Johnny Lever for the post of the future President.

In the midst of all the wild hullabaloo over the now discarded Steve Bucknor issue and the racism drama which has seen a humongous collective response, I also see the rising dark face of pseudo Indian nationalism.

Why aren't we Indians taking to the streets against an extremely malicious campaign alleging an insult to the Indian tri-colour, the national flag against Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza?

Here is a young, hard working girl from Hyderabad who has single handedly battled several odds to achieve a global distinction for her ferocious forehands and relentless power-hitting in a popular sport, hugely competitive and highly demanding.

The fact that she is a Muslim, a woman, and an Indian succeeding in a hard-fought tough world where she has not had the advantage of an existing system for grooming talent of Nick Bolletterie - kind training, fat sponsors, full-time travelling coaches, fitness instructors, easily available infrastructure - should make all of us proud of Sania Mirza.

Mirza is a fairy-tale story of individual determination, of being innately gritty, of fighting hard against several insurmountable and achieving great success. She is only 21. And has an exciting future ahead. She needs our support.

She needs India's support, just as Harbhajan did. She needs the same emotional resonance from us that echoed when Bhajji was summarily damned. The only difference is that in Sania's case, tragically enough, the obdurate opposition is coming from within.

She has been mercilessly hauled up for wearing short skirts, maligned for looking glamorous, and been made into a gossip feature at the slightest provocation, even if making a fleeting appearance in a party.

Is it her fault that she is a lovely young woman who plays her sport with passion and has now become a charming celebrity at a young age of 21? We ogle Maria Sharapova and endorse her commercial deals, deifying her like a Diva, but Mirza's every move is condescendingly criticised and mockingly rebuked. If she loses early in a Tier four tournament, we blame it on her party-hopping and photo-ops.

The next day when she beats a Patty Schnyder or a Martina Hingis, we say it was only a rare fluke.

Why aren't we running petition campaigns for Sania Mirza on our TV channels? Where is the collective Indian outrage outpouring in her support? Why are we not worried about the grievous harm all the trumped up accusations can do to a vulnerable young woman in the international spotlight just prior to the year's first Grand Slam starting within a few days?

Are we even aware that despite injuries she was fighting hard for India , for her country in the Hopman Cup? Didn't she help bring India several medals at the Asian Games in Doha?

Harbhajan Singh has at least several team-mates, an obsessed nation of cricket-crazy followers, a powerful institution like the BCCI and universal media support to espouse his cause. For Sania Mirza, the battle is a lot lonelier. The double-fault is her own personal anguish as is the easy missed volley. For her, Team India means every Indian who believes in her. Has faith in her actions. Who does not cheer her shots hit into the bottom of the net. And sees in her success the victory of India.

Mahesh Bhupathi, India's tennis player and a role model for many, has publicly stated that Sania has been shattered by the unending deluge of recent assaults on her. It can, frankly, break anyone. It is human. And this just when she had refused a lucrative commercial contract to represent her country. When she has been seeded at the Australian Open.

Did the media and the rest of us Indians even discuss the fact that the reputed TENNIS magazine has rated her deadly forehand amongst the Top 3 forehands of all time?

In a few days Bhajji will be in Perth for the next Test match. On Monday, January 14th, Sania Mirza will play in the first round against Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan at Melbourne. By a strange coincidence they will both be in Australia.

The scoreboard will read:

SANIA MIRZA--------INDIA.

India, a country of a billion people, and counting.

Should we feel proud as Indians if we let that young girl out in the middle feel lonely and lost?