Making it clear that the board would do everything to stamp out sledging from the game, BCCI president Sharad Pawar revealed that the Indian players, especially the volatile youngsters, had been asked to learn from the seniors and mind their on-field behaviour.“We have told our players that they have to behave properly. It (sledging) is a strategy and sometimes our players become victims of it and react. “But we asked them ‘have you heard any complaints about Sachin, Sourav, Dravid and Kumble?’ They have set examples for world cricket on how to behave on and off the field,” Pawar said. Asked what was the BCCI’s recommendation to the ICC to stop sledging, Pawar said, “we have to be very, very harsh, irrespective of the player - and that means even our players. The spirit od sport has to be maintained and we have to take action.“We have told them ‘enough is enough’. Erring once is understandable but you can’t go on doing it.”Players like Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh have given ample evidence on the field that they were ready to fight fire with fire and would not back out of any confrontation. In the backdrop of an acrimonious India-Australia series, the BCCI has been pressing for tougher laws to deal with sledging. The matter is before the ICC.The board raised the issue in ICC’s Executive Board meeting in Dubai this weekend and will pursue the matter further when it meets for its Annual General Meeting in June.“The process is on to get a ban on sledging and it will be discussed again in the June meeting,” Pawar said.Pawar also dismissed suggestions that the BCCI managed to bully the ICC into decisions favouring their players. “There are a number of instances where action was taken against Indian players. “Match fees were deducted from Sourav, Sehwag and Yuvraj but we did not say anything and accepted it. But here in the Sydney controversy, Harbhajan was not at fault. He only reacted, and that’s typical Harbhajan”
