Jadeja fined for applying ointment without umpire’s permission

Ravindra Jadeja, the hero of India’s victory in the opening Test against Australia, was on Saturday fined 25 per cent of his match fee for applying ointment on his index finger without permission from the on-field umpire on the first day of the match. Jadeja, who had plastered a swollen finger on his bowling hand, returned figures of seven for 81 in the match and contributed 70 runs as India won by an innings and 132 runs.

A video is going viral on social media in which he was seen taking something from his fellow fast bowler Mohammad Siraj and rubbing it on the index finger of his left hand. The Australian media and a former player showed considerable interest in what he was applying, but the ICC (International Cricket Council) stated that the ointment was applied to the finger, which was purely for medical purposes, and that it could affect the ball. There was no change in the status of

Jadeja’s application of ointment without the permission of the umpire was deemed a breach of Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which deals with conduct unbecoming of the spirit of the game. “India spin bowler Ravindra Jadeja was on Thursday fined 25 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the first Test against Australia in Nagpur,” the ICC said in a statement. ,

“Additionally, one ‘demerit’ point has also been added to Jadeja’s disciplinary record, his first offense in 24 months,” it said. Jadeja has accepted the breach and the penalty proposed by Andy Pycroft of the ICC’s Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for an official hearing. The ICC said in a statement, “The match referee was satisfied that the ointment was applied to the finger solely for medical purposes.” ,

According to it, “The ointment was not applied to the ball as an artificial substance and did not alter the condition of the ball in a way that did not contravene Article 41.3 of the ICC Playing Conditions.” The charges were laid by on-field umpires Nitin Menon and Richard Illingworth, third umpire Michael Gough and fourth umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan. The minimum penalty in level one is an official reprimand and the maximum is a deduction of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee and a fine of one or two demerit points.