The SCG Shame
Recipe for a disastrous Test:

1 hallowed venue
1 Blind/Deaf/Dumb umpire.
Another umpire who lacks conviction and trusts Aussies implicitly
9 controversial decisions
1 Racism controversy
Opening and lower middle order woes
Ridiculous appeals and dishonest catches

One couldn't have asked for more things non-cricket from this match. Much has been written, but there seem to be 2 separate issues at hand:

1. Poor umpiring and player spirit
2. The racist sledging.

As far as umpiring goes, it is clear that Bucknor and Benson erred miserably and nipped wonderful innings in the bud. That we would have held on for a draw had the decisions gone in our favor is useless speculation at this point of time. However, in the context of the state of the game, the decisions were crucial and tilted the balance quit unfavorably against us.

Kumble happened to mention that he was disappointed with the Aussie spirit. The issue again pans out into different domains - catches claimed by fielders and batsmen walking when they know they are out.

As Michael Clarke said, no batsman would ever walk when he was aware that the umpire was not sure of the decision. In fact, every batsman need not walk. The batsman is well within his rights to stay on and wait for the umpire's decision. After all, the umpires have a job to do. In that sense, the expectation of a batsman walking is an unreasonable one. If a batsman who knows that he is out is given not out; surely such a decision weighs on umpire's conscience and it is he who ought to be held responsible for such a decision. Decisions such as those where Ponting/ did not walk rest on Bucknor or Benson's abilities than the morality of the batsmen involved.

Coming to catches claimed by fielders and appeals pertaining to these, such claims have the tendency to deceive and tilt opinion in favour of the fielding side. In such cases, umpires, when unsure, should resort to technology. While I'm tempted to make a judgement about Ponting and the Aussie spirit (lack of it that is) of playing the game, the umpires' implicit trust of the same is to be blamed. Many catches claimed in this context were later analysed and proved by TV replays to be blatantly dishonest and desperate appeals to push for victory. The umpires erred in placing faith in the Australian claim of playing in the spirit of the game. Ponting and the rest of the team are wonderfully talented and extremely competitive, but in a game where they were pushed to the brink for the first time in 12-13 Tests, the desperation and the willingness to bend the rules was conspicuous.

Coming to Harbhajan's controversy, there's not much to say except that he should have known better. There are claims that there is no corroborative evidence to prove Symonds' claims. If Harbhajan did indeed say the word, he is to be punished and without compromise. And that is simply because he was aware of the repercussions of using such words (from arrests made earlier in Mumbai during the Aussie tour to India) and yet chose to do so. It's interesting to note so many angles to this controversy such as -

How would Sachin have testified? Surely, if Hayden and Gilchrist heard it, Sachin heard it as well since he was Bhajji's partner. If that is the case, would he protect his teammate at the cost of perjury?

Also, the context of the word "monkey" is easily misinterpreted. Is it racist? I remember being called various names linking my appearance to fruits, vegetables and animals at various points of time in my life. Is this racism? The divide between the Aussie and Indian cultures also comes to the fore. The Aussie culture is typically more hardened and rational than the Indian culture and hence more resilient in the face of abuse(give or take). Why, then, did Symonds, who is no saint himself, choose to file this complaint? Am sure worse has been spoken on the cricket field between the teams. That probably explains why the Indian team has chosen to file a counter complaint about Hogg using the word "bastard". It appears childish - this whole affair and may have been best left on the field.

If the tour does go ahead, which I think it will, then cricket will eventually take over. Given the state of mind in the Indian camp, the Perth test match could not have come at a worse juncture. Anil Kumble may feel justified in questioning the Aussie spirit but he will probably agree that the Indians have been outplayed during the crucial days of both Tests. This is probably what he needs to address more than the emotional melodrama that surrounds a tour that promised more cricket than controversy.