Rediff
Mumbai, Jan 12: Board of Control for Cricket in India chief Sharad Pawar says the threat of India pulling out of the cricket tour of Australia is real if the ban on spinner Harbhajan Singh is not lifted.
"Let's see what happens, but allegations of racism against a member of our cricket team are not acceptable. After the meeting, we then will take action," he was quoted as saying in The Hearld Sun.
Pawar confirmed that he has been empowered by the Board to decide on the matter.
"That is true but I will only use the power in support of Harbhajan for the rest of the country," he said.
"There will be an committee hearing. We are confident that in the hearing he will be cleared," he added.
An ICC spokesman has said the hearing into Harbhajan's appeal will take longer than the stipulated seven days.
"It should be held within seven days of a commissioner being appointed but that can be extended," he said.
New Zealand's High Court judge John Hansen has been appointed Appeals Commissioner for the hearing.
Harbhajan was slapped a three-Test ban for allegedly racially abusing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, outraging the Indian players and Board, who had threatened to abandon the tour after the controversial second Test in Sydney, marred by poor umpiring by Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson.
The Harbhajan Singh controversy: Tour gone sour
The ICC stepped in to diffuse the explosive situation by removing Bucknor from umpiring duties for the rest of the series. It also appointed Chief Referee Ranjan Madugalle as a facilitator for the third Test in Perth to ease the tension between the two sides.
The BCCI's working committee, which had met for an emergency meeting in Delhi on January 8, had authorized Pawar to take all possible steps at his command and deploy all human and material resources available to get Harbhajan cleared of the "obnoxious and baseless" accusation.
The working committee also authorised the president and office-bearers to take all appropriate decisions and exercise all available options in dealing with the situation emerging during the course of the hearing.
Meanwhile, in Kolkata, Pawar threw his weight behind Harbhajan saying the BCCI will "do everything" to see that the ace Indian off-spinner gets justice.
"BCCI has decided to give full support to Harbhajan and provide legal help to fight it out," Pawar told reporters on the sidelines of an International seminar in the city.
"Three members of the Board -- Arun Jaitley and N Srinivasan, who are noted lawyers, and BCCI president-elect Shashank Manohar will look after the case," he said.
Pawar was, however, evasive on whether India would pull out of the current Australia tour if the verdict of ICC's Appeals Commissioner went against Harbhajan.
"I have not heard anything about that," he said, adding, "I expect the controversy to be resolved as early as possible."
Pawar, however, expressed satisfaction with the ICC's handling of the case and the umpiring controversy as also the attitude of Cricket Australia.
To a question if he would take up the issues at the ICC's Dubai meet on Monday, he replied, "The ICC meeting has been called to discuss some other matters and not these ones."
Pawar said as per the ICC constitution, no team or Board can demand for a change of umpire.
"We just told ICC to assess the performance of the umpire in last two Test matches. I am happy that the umpire (Steve Bucknor) has been changed."
On the racism row, Pawar said, "Our country is always against racism, starting from Mahatma Gandhi to when the ICC boycotted South Africa on the issue.
"There is a provision to appeal against the decision taken by match referee and Harbhajan has appealed against this decision. The BCCI has fully supported it."