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OK now then, there's a couple things I find bizarre about this whole episode. Let's discuss them shall we, then I must go to the barbers. For those of you not familiar with this story, Indian spin bowler Harbhajan Singh has been accused of hurling racist abuse at Andrew Symonds and banned for three matches.

It was alleged he had called the boy Symonds a monkey. India threatened to abandon the tour, complained about the umpires favouring the Australians and the Indian public back home have been burning effigies of both Umpires and Symonds and beating posters of them all with their shoes.

This is bizarre on many levels. My knowledge of Indian and Hindu culture is sparse, but I'm pretty sure monkeys are sacred animals in the Hindu religion. So, if Harbhajan Singh did indeed call Symonds a monkey how can that been considered racist abuse? It's the antithesis of abuse surely? It's like me trotting off to White Hart Lane and accusing Demitar Berbatov of being no better than Dennis Bergkamp.

Also, I know the Indians are passionate about their cricket, but this whole effigy burning and shoe beating is a bit much is it not? As I understand it exposing the sole of your shoes is incredibly insulting in Arabic and Asian countries and I think in Cornwall too, only with wellies. So really this sort of protest ought to be reserved for the trials and executions of tyrants and the evilest of politicians and assassinations of the Ghandi's and Bhutto's of the world.

The expressions of anger by the Indian cricket loving public are as frenzied as those in Pakistan by the supporters of Benazir Bhutto following her assassination. Te political and religious climate must be pretty tranquil in India at the moment if this has provoked such a disproportionate reaction from the public. What are they gonna do when something comes along that's really worth protesting over? Just use bigger shoes? A2 sized posters instead of A3? Come on now Indians relax, it's only cricket and you were going to lose anyway, that's what I always say.