PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (Reuters)
Sachin Tendulkar has been given a suspended one-match ban and a fine for ball tampering while five other Indian players, including skipper Sourav Ganguly, have been disciplined for bad behaviour.

Match referee Mike Denness found that Tendulkar, widely regarded as the world's leading batsman, had brought the game into disrepute by "acting on the ball" during the third day's play of the second Test against South Africa. The ban was suspended until the end of the year while Tendulkar was also fined 75 percent of his match fee.

Denness confirmed the sanctions at a press conference after they had been leaked to the press by Indian cricket officials a day earlier.

Denness had summoned Tendulkar to a hearing after television pictures of Sunday's play appeared to show him interfering with the seam of the ball with his fingernail.

Ganguly was also given a suspended ban, for one Test and two one-day internationals, for breaching the first two clauses of the International Cricket Council code of conduct dealing with the conduct of players and bringing the game into disrepute.

The most immediate action, however, came against batsman Virender Sehwag. He was banned for one Test and fined 75 per cent of his match fee for "showing dissent at an umpire's decision and attempting to intimidate the umpire by charging". He will miss the third and final Test starting on Friday.

Television replays had appeared to show Sehwag appealing for a catch taken on the half-volley during the second day's play on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh, Shiv Sunder Das and Deep Dasgupta were each fined 75 percent of their match fees and handed suspended one-match bans for the same offence as Sehwag.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd