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The Indian team management has informed ICC match referee Andy Pycroft that left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was using pain-relief cream on the finger of his bowling hand in the video clips that went viral on social media on the first day of the Nagpur Test against Australia.
In the video footage, Jadeja was seen taking a substance off the back of Mohammed Siraj’s palm and applying it to the index finger of his left hand (his bowling hand) just before starting to bowl a delivery.
However, at no point in the footage, Jadeja can be seen rubbing anything on the ball itself, though he did have the ball in his hands at the time.
The incident happened when Jadeja had already dismissed Marnus Labuschagne (49) and Steven Smith (37) and Australia were 120/5.
According to a report, immediately after the end of day’s play on Day 1, India captain Rohit Sharma along with Jadeja and the Indian team manager were shown the same video clip by Pycroft which went viral on social media.
This is absolutely shocking!
Jadeja is quite clearly applying a magic potion to his finger here, which has tricked the Australian's into forgetting they can use their bats.
12 month ban. Now. #AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/dukRDR1sni
— The Cricket Podcast (@TheCricketPod) February 9, 2023
However, it is understood that Pycroft has not laid any charge against Jadeja and he just wanted to inform the team management about the incident.
Despite the incident triggering debates on social media and mainstream media, the Australian team did not bring the matter to the match referee.
Jadeja made a stunning comeback in his first Test after a five-month injury break by claiming 5/47 on Day 1 of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur, on Thursday.
Although Jadeja was coming after a five-month long break, he looked in his old rhythm and took important wickets of Australia’s key players like Labuschagne, Smith, Matt Renshaw (0), Peter Handscomb (31) and the debutant off-spinner Todd Murphy (0) to bundle out Australia at 177/10 in their first innings.
According to the playing conditions, the match referee can independently probe such incidents without needing a complaint to be lodged. And under the Laws of Cricket, the bowler needs the umpire’s permission to apply any type of substance on their hands to ensure the condition of the ball remains unaffected.
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