Nagpur Test: No charges pressed against Ravindra Jadeja and India after ointment controversy

Ravindra Jadeja and India were given a clean chit ahead of Day 2 of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur by match referee Andy Pycroft after the ointment controversy on Thursday.

Jadeja, who picked up five wickets on Day one of the first Test against Australia, was accused by the Australian media of using an external substance on his fingers while bowling at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur.

The left-arm spinner was applying an ointment for soreness on his finger, and is very much within the rules of the game. Jadeja has been away from cricket for almost five months and hasn’t been used to bowling long spells for some time. On Thursday, he bowled 22 overs and had soreness in his fingers, which is why he was applying pain-relief ointment.

The Indian team management isn’t happy with the same, as it involves the integrity of a senior player, who knows the rules of the game. Now, it has been reported that the match referee for the Nagpur Test, Pycroft, has given a clean chit to Jadeja and India.

The match referee showed the footage to Jadeja and Rohit, and that’s all. He was informed that Jadeja was using an ointment for soreness on his index finger. No charges have been pressed against Jadeja or the team.

Jadeja was right on the money for India on his return to the side on Thursday. He first picked up Marnus Labuschagne as KS Bharat pulled off a MS Dhoni-esque stumping.

Jadeja then trapped Matt Renshaw in front of the stumps on the very next ball to rattle the Australian batting order. Steve Smith was his third victim with a brilliant delivery to shatter his stumps. Todd Murphy and Peter Handscomb were Jadeja’s fourth and fifth wickets as he ended with figures of five for 47.