Come On, It Was Just A Pain-Relief Cream
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2023-02-10 09:58:41
About the Author
One of the most non-controversial players in the Indian team, Ravindra Jadeja, was the centre of a cooked up, but short-lived, controversy on Day 1 of the first Test between India and Australia. It so happened that Jadeja applied a cream on his index (and hence the spinning) finger during play. Immediately, there were conjectures about what he was applying and whether it was legal.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan wondered what Jadeja was applying and said that he had never seen this in a tweet. Former Australian captain Tim Paine found the matter 'interesting'. Fox Cricket even claimed that it was a 'questionable moment' and unnecessarily tried to cook up a debate. It was later disclosed that the cream was allowed to be applied under ICCs playing conditions and bowlers often apply it to manage calluses on their fingers or relieve pain.
Whenever India plays Australia, India baiting rears its head. It takes many forms and sometimes non-events are also made controversial. Yesterday's buzz around Jadeja was also one such instance. Those who were commenting must recognize that the field umpires, the third umpire, the opposition players and the opposition dugout, along with more than a dozen TV cameras, all keep a hawk's eye on the proceedings especially after the Australians tampered with the ball in South Africa in 2018 and David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were banned - the first two for one year and Bancroft for 9 months.
Hence, it is now almost impossible for players to indulge in anything illegal, including tampering with the ball, on the field. Thus, it would be best if such incidents are not given a colour. Those who speak on any incident must first find out the truth. Let the players focus on the game and not embroil them in needless controversy.
PS: Ravindra Jadeja was later fined 25% of his match fees for not seeking the umpires' permission before applying the cream. Match referee Andy Pycroft deemed it to be a violation of Article 2.20 of the ICC code of conduct. He laos handed one demerit point to Jadeja, his first in a 24-month period.
