India continue to Harp about Harpers decisions

Such was the exasperation that a senior member of the side said that whole team wishes that Harper does not officiate in the third Test.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did little to hide his disgust at the standard of umpiring in the Test, which they won by 63 runs to take a 1-0 lead.

“If correct decisions were made, the game would have ended much earlier and we would have been in the hotel by now,” Dhoni said at the post match press conference.

The Australian would stand for one last time when India take on West Indies in the third Test at Dominica from July 6.

“We don’t want him — you can quote it as the reaction of the entire Indian team,” said a very senior member of the side.

Though Dhoni did not name anyone of the two umpires officiating in the match — Ian Gould (England) and Harper — several Indian players openly termed the latter as the centre of their ire.

“It’s Daryl Harper six not out,” said another senior cricketer as soon as he saw a bunch of Indian pressmen approaching him.

Indians were upset that Harper made at least three critical errors against India and three in favour of West Indies during the match.

“Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh and Dhoni himself got done in; (Darren) Bravo twice and once (Shivnarine) Chanderpaul benefitted,” chimed in another Indian cricketer, bristling with aggression.

Raina was given out caught in the leg-trap off Devendra Bishoo even as television replays suggested no edge from either bat or gloves of the batsman.

Harbhajan Singh was ruled out leg before wicket when the ball clearly was seen going way above the height of the stumps.

Dhoni was cleanly caught at the point region off Bishoo but the bowler had cut the return crease in his bowling run-up and the delivery should have been called a no-ball.

All three decisions in question were given by Harper in India’s second innings.

Then, when West Indies batted for the last time, there were confident appeals against Bravo and Chanderpaul which were not upheld.