Harbhajan asked for it: Symonds

SYDNEY: All-rounder Andrew Symonds is of the view  that three-match ban slapped on Harbhajan Singh is justified as the 'Indian spinner asked for it'.
  
"I'm a firm believer in sticking up for your teammate, so  I stepped in and had a bit of a crack at Harbhajan, telling  him exactly what I thought of his antics," Symonds told 'The  Daily Telegraph'.
  
"He then had a shot back, which brings us to the situation  we're facing tonight," he said,
  
Symonds asserted that Harbhajan had hit Brett Lee while  batting, following which he had an altercation with the Indian.  But if the episode earned the Indian a three-match ban from Procter, the off-spinner has none but himself to blame for  that.
  
He added "Brett Lee had just sent down a delivery and Harbhajan took off down the wicket. When he was returning to  his crease, he decided to hit Brett on the backside. I have  no idea why he did it. I was standing nearby and when I saw  what happened I thought: 'Hold on, that's not on'."
  
The all-rounder claimed India and Australia shared a pretty  cordial relation before the incident soured it all.
  
"I must admit the incident was pretty surprising, because relations between the two sides so far have been very good. It's been a series played in really good spirit. There's been no  sledging or bad blood."