Ravindra Jadeja cops ICC whack over Test controversy
The star Indian all-rounder was found not to have tampered with the ball, but still felt the wrath of the ICC after the win over Australia.
Days after Indian star Ravindra Jadeja sparked a major debate in the cricket world during their eventual drubbing of Australia in the first Test in Nagpur, the ICC has handed the 34-year-old a demerit point. Jadeja sparked controversy after taking an ointment from a teammate and applying it to his finger without permission from the on-field umpire.
The moment came under scrutiny from observers questioning of the ointment had been applied to the ball, however these concerns were allayed when Jadeja met with the match referee at stumps on day one. Shown the footage, Jadeja quickly explained himself, to the satisfaction of referee Andy Pycroft.
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Following India's victory by an innings and 134 runs, Jadeja was fined 25% of his match earnings and given one demerit point by the ICC. He was officially charged with breaching the code of conduct.
“In reaching his decision to sanction the player along with the Level 1 sanction he imposed, the match referee was satisfied that the cream was applied to the finger purely for medical purposes,” an ICC statement said.
“The cream was not applied as an artificial substance to the ball and consequently, it did not change the condition of the ball, which would have been in breach of clause 41.3 of the ICC playing conditions.”
While the incident raised many eyebrows in the cricket world, former Australian Test skipper was sympathetic to the spinner, believing it was highly unlikely Jadeja had intended to tamper with the ball - rather it was simply a lapse in concentration. Jadeja recently returned from injury, with reports later confirming it was merely a pain-killing ointment for his finger.
“He’s bowling so much so he’s probably got a blister or cut on that finger. What he should have done there, he should have given the ball to the umpire and stand in front of the umpire while he was putting it on his finger,” Clarke said on the Big Sports Breakfast.
“I don’t look at that and think it’s a thing. I just wish he didn’t have the ball in his hand.
“If he chucks the ball to the umpire and does that I don’t think there’s any comment made about that. It’s just the perception. I don’t think there’s anything to it. I could be 100 per cent wrong.”
India on top after thrashing Australia in first Test
Jadeja's fine from the ICC did little to dampen India's spirits after their convincing victory, with the spinner taking five wickets in the first innings and following that up with a tail-end stand of 70 with the bat on day two. Fellow spinner Ravi Ashwin took five wickets in the second innings to finish the match with eight of his own.
The tourists narrowly avoided their lowest Test innings score against India - 83 at the MCG in 1981. A tour that began with so much promise, as Australia looked to win a Test series in India for the first time since 2004, is in disarray.
India will take a 1-0 lead into the next match at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, a venue where they have not lost a Test since 1987. "Sometimes it's almost easier to put behind you those kind of losses," Australian skipper Pat Cummins said.
"You are looking at small margins, you have to have a hard look at your game and the big strides you need to change to give yourself the best chance next week. We've had a really good run the last 12 months.
"There hasn't been many losses in that change room. I don't think we need to reinvent the wheel, it's just tweaking different approaches to how we play, and maybe particular methods."
Australia's first match in India in six years started in chaotic fashion and ended the same way. Selectors gambled by dropping Travis Head, the world's No.4-ranked batter, based on his poor record in Asia after fruitless tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year.
Head's replacement at No.5, Matt Renshaw, made scores of 0 and 2 and spent much of the second day off the ground with knee soreness.
with AAP
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