PTI
Brisbane, Feb 5: The BCCI has asked the Indian cricketers to be cautious about their movement after the incident of egg throwing on Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.
"Players have been asked to be aware of their surroundings, look around and be on alert if any mischief is waiting to happen," a high-ranking Indian board official said on condition of anonymity.
An egg was thrown at Muralitharan in Hobart on Saturday and the Indian board wants its cricketers to be cautious especially after the racism row that figured Harbhajan Singh so prominently.
The Indian board foresees a heat engulfing the Indian team on these lines in the days ahead and has asked the squad not to get provoked by any incident and if at all they are at the receiving end of any such mischief, they should immediately report it to the team management.
"It's quite serious (Murali incident) but Cricket Australia is extremely capable of handling the situation. We have full faith in them but from our end, we are keeping a close eye on the matters. We have spoken to the team management to direct the boys to stay cool," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said from India.
Harbhajan is copping a fair deal of cat-calls from the crowd since the decision was ruled in his favour in a re-hearing in Adelaide last week and the Indians are aware that the trend is likely to continue for the rest of the tour.
Harbhajan is bearing it stoically and even getting inspired by it, as was evident from his fine cameo of 27 runs off 19 balls in yesterday's rain-marred series opener.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni too is presenting a brave face in public but he finds his hands forced whenever there is a need to send Harbhajan in the outfield. His team too finds itself under seize because of the booing from the stands.
As an aside, a chewing-gum manufacturing giant in India wants to cash in on the controversy. This company has mapped out plans for an advertisement which it wants to shoot with Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh being two of its lead characters in the film.
The ad film will show the antagonists promoting the gum, with Harbhajan stating in the end Gum Mein Hai Dum (Anyone who chews this gum can hold his ground).
The company has prepared its plans to approach the two cricketers and feelers have already been conveyed to them.