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HARBHAJAN SINGH'S turbulent career is one blemish away from being "Turbanated" by his employers, with his slap on Shantha Sreesanth the penultimate straw. Those who have gone in to bat for the spinner for many years have now turned their backs in fury.
During the "monkey"-taunt row that marred India's tour of Australia, Harbhajan was portrayed as a victim by his supporters. No longer.
'There is no question for any repetition, we cannot have tolerance of any repeat actions of this nature," senior Indian official Inderjit Singh Bindra told the Herald last night. "Once punished for such an offence, a player cannot make the same indiscretion again."
One of the most powerful figures in cricket, Bindra warned Harbhajan to tone down his aggression upon his return from Australia, and has been left deflated by the latest temper tantrum from the Sikh spinner.
"He has disappointed all of us," said Bindra, the International Cricket Council's principal adviser. "I personally warned him after Australia, I told him he needed to be all the more careful because 'you are under watch, you are under probation'.
"He has had problems on a couple of occasions in the past. He was warned by the association that if he doesn't listen to the advice then next is a hard knock on his knuckles."
That knuckle-rap came in the form of an 11-match Indian Premier League ban, but it is "only part of the punishment" for Harbhajan. Bindra confirmed the Board of Control for Cricket in India would likely suspend him for a further five Tests or 10 one-day internationals, as per the ICC sanctions available for the assault of a fellow player.
Harbhajan's Mumbai contract is worth $US850,000 and because he will only be paid for the first two matches he played, he is now $US729,000 out of pocket.