The International Cricket Council (ICC) said the hearing had been postponed until after the close of play at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Match referee Mike Procter said he was using "discretionary powers" to delay the hearing until the Test finishes.

The alleged incident took place on Friday, the second day of the Test.

"At the request of the India team manager and under the circumstances I have exercised my discretionary powers to postpone the code of conduct hearing until the conclusion of this test match," said Procter.

"I am satisfied that with a further 24 hours India will have time to sufficiently prepare for this hearing."

The charge was laid by the umpires following a complaint from Australia captain Ricky Ponting.

If found guilty, Harbhajan could face a ban of between two and four Test games or between four and eight one-dayers.

Symonds, part Afro-Caribbean, was on the receiving end of monkey chants and gestures from some Indian fans in the crowd during a one-day international in Vadodara last October.

But Harbhajan has protested his innocence.

"I did not say anything racist," he told Saturday's Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. "I do not know what is going on. I haven't done anything, we were just talking.

"It wasn't even sledging, it was just normal talk out on the cricket field. I was concentrating on my batting."

Procter confirmed the umpires themselves had not heard anything untoward.

Former England captain Tony Greig claimed the Australians were guilty of employing double standards.

"No one can tell me that there is not a bit of verbal going in the direction of the Indians from the Australians and every now and then in the heat of the moment something comes back the other way," said Greig.

"It seems to me, I don't want to be too nasty about it but the Australians find it a bit difficult to deal with some of these issues when the going is a bit tough."

Courtesy - The Island