Harbhajan wishes Symonds good health

SYDNEY: As Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds battles a "turbulent state of mind", he has found an unexpected supporter in Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh with whom he had a run-in during the Indian tour of Down Under.

Harbhajan, however,  refused to comment on the controversial subject of Symonds' exclusion from the Australia squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India next month.

"I don't want to answer (questions about Symonds). I would prefer to look forward. He is obviously a great player and I hope he is well, and that he is getting better," Harbhajan said.

Symonds was expelled on disciplinary grounds following his highly publicised fishing excursion during the Bangladesh one-day series. After that he has been put on rehabilitation by Cricket Australia (CA) to come out from what was described as a troubled state of mind.

The relationship between the two cricketers is not cordial after the  controversial Test series in Australia earlier this year. Symonds levelled charges of racism against Harbhajan during the Sydney Test after which the Indian spinner was banned for three Test matches. But after pressure from the Indian cricket board, CA forced Symonds and his teammates to tone down charges of racism against Harbhajan and the spinner escaped only with a ban.

Symonds' state of mind is now being attributed to that row during that controversial home series against India. He was was terribly upset with CA after he and his teammates were asked to "downgrade" charge of racial abuse to verbal abuse against Harbhajan Singh.