Why Ravindra Jadeja asked to remove tape from his hand during India vs Australia Champions Trophy semifinal clash? Here's what ICC rule says

India star-all rounder Ravindra Jadeja was asked to remove the tape from his hand during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal clash against Australia at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai. The incident happened when Jadeja came to bowl the 19th over. Umpire Illingworth stopped the all-rounder to remove the tape from his bowling hand. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also joined the chat and Jadeja later removed the tape. 

Is it allowed to tape the bowling hand?

As per the International Cricket Council (ICC) it is not generally legal to tape the bowling hand. Bowlers are not allowed to use tape on their fingers unless they have a specific injury and have obtained permission from the umpires. It is legal to tape when a bowler has a recent injury that requires protection, and they have received the umpire's consent to do so. 

As per the Law 28.1 “protection for the hand or fingers may be worn only with the consent of the umpires.”

Coming back to the match, Australia won the toss and decided to bat against India. While writing this copy, the Steve Smith-led side are 165/4. Smith and Alex Carey are stitching a partnership. Jadeja picked up two wickets, Mohammed Shami and Varun Chakravarthy got one each. 

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India vs Australia playing XIs

Australia (Playing XI): Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Steven Smith(c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis(w), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy