Former England skipper Alastair Cook feels Indian batters were running intentionally on the protected area of the pitch on the second day of the ongoing third Test between India and England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. India was handed a five-run penalty in the first innings.
The incident took place during the 102nd over of the Indian innings. Umpire Joe Wilson warned Ravichandran Ashwin for running in the middle of the pitch. The spinner walked up to have a word with the umpire, who later signalled five penalty runs. This was Ashwin’s first offence, however, Jadeja was warned earlier in the match.
Alastair Cook feels that the five-run penalty was part of a tactical strategy by Team India. He expressed that they wanted to create more favourable conditions for their spinners when the England team would come to bat in Rajkot. Speaking on TNT Sports, the former England captain said,
“Is it deliberate? Yes, it is. It’s a tactical ploy that you can disturb the middle of the wicket because Ashwin wants as much help (as possible) when he can bowl.”
“Normally, it happens in the third innings. You’re 150-200 runs ahead and you think, ‘just make sure you get up and down the wicket’… that was gamesmanship there, wasn’t it?” he added.
MCC’s Law 41.14
Ravichandran Ashwin breached Law 41.14, which states that “a batter will be deemed to be causing avoidable damage if either umpire considers that his or her presence on the pitch is without reasonable cause.”
According to Law 14.11, The protected area is defined as that area of the pitch contained within a rectangle bounded at each end by imaginary lines parallel to the popping creases and 5 ft/1.52 m in front of each, and on the sides by imaginary lines, one each side of the imaginary line joining the centres of the two middle stumps, each parallel to it and 1 ft/30.48 cm from it.
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