India’s star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja broke Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the first Test match against Australia in Nagpur on Thursday. As a result, he has been fined 25 percent of his match fee.
As per the ICC, Jadeja breached Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel which is contrary to the spirit of the game. One demerit point has also been added to Jadeja’s disciplinary record as this was his first mistake in a 24-month period.
The incident transpired during the 46th over of Australia’s first innings when the left-arm spinner was spotted applying a cream to his index finger. Jadeja then accepted his mistake and will adhere to the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees.
ICC released a statement and said, “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. 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 – Unfair Play – The Match Ball – Changing its Condition.”
“On-field umpires Nitin Menon and Richard Illingworth, third umpire Michael Gough and fourth umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan levelled the charge. Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points”, the statement further added.
Talking about the match, Rohit Sharma’s men have outplayed the Australians by innings and 132 runs in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur. The Kangaroos lost 10 wickets in a single session, kudos to the Indian bowlers as they bowled out Australia for 91 runs. With this win, India are 1-0 ahead in the series.