After the joy of winning the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Nagpur on Saturday, February 11, the Player of the Match Ravindra Jadeja has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee after he was found guilty of breaching the ICC code of conduct.
He will also receive one demerit point for his 'actions'.
The ICC took this decision after the team admitted that Jadeja had applied cream for soreness on Day 1 when a video surfaced showing that he appeared to take something from Siraj, which he then rubs on his spinning finger. Skipper Rohit Sharma finally put all the debate to rest as he informed the ICC match referee Andy Pycroft that Jadeja was using pain-relief cream on his index finger.
"Ravindra Jadeja was found to have breached Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to displaying conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game," the ICC said in a release.
Jadeja admitted to the offence and there was no need for a formal hearing, the governing body added.
No Ball Tampering
"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," the ICC added.
The Indian team management, according to sources, was miffed with the way the Australian media was portraying the team and the pitches ahead and during the match.
India went on to thrash Australia courtesy of Jadeja's seven wickets across two innings and 70 runs in the first innings, also winning the Player of the Match trophy.
