John Buchanan

Calcutta: Sourav Ganguly and Co. were, on Sunday, reminded that their behaviour had to be “exemplary” on and off the field during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

Actually, all 365 days of the year.

The reminder came from the Kolkata Knight Riders’ coach, John Buchanan, during a team meeting after a cooling-down session at the hotel.

“Quite a few issues were discussed, including our performance so far in the IPL... Because of the Harbhajan Singh-Sreesanth incident, I also made the point that our conduct had to be exemplary, both on the field and off it,” Buchanan told The Telegraph.

Buchanan, who coached Australia from late 1999 till early 2007, added: “There was no disagreement in the room when I made that point, not that I expected something to the contrary...”

The Knight Riders’ ranks includes two current (Ricky Ponting, Chris Gayle) and two former national captains — Sourav and Tatenda Taibu.

Perhaps not wanting to wade into the controversy, Buchanan declined a detailed comment on the shocking happening in Mohali on Friday night.

Buchanan merely said: “I wasn’t there and I haven’t seen the footage. However, if what is being reported is correct, then he (Harbhajan) is getting the appropriate treatment...”

Besides appearing before Match Referee Farokh Engineer in New Delhi on Monday, Harbhajan must also send his reply to the showcause served by a rather peeved Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Meanwhile, a member of the IPL’s governing council has clarified that any punishment handed out by Engineer will be specific to the League.

While the IPL is governed by the International Cricket Council’s Code of Conduct, Match Referees don’t have the jurisdiction to impose a penalty which will affect the players’ Test/ODI appearances.