Former England captain Alastair Cook claimed that the Indian off-spinner R Ashwin intentionally ran on the protected area of the pitch on Day 2 of the ongoing third Test between India and England in Rajkot.
Cook further stressed that the five-run penalty was part of a tactical strategy by Team India to create more favorable conditions for their spinners when the England team would come to bat in Rajkot.
Actually, England began their first innings with a score of 5 for 0 after the Indian cricket team was penalized on Day 2.
The penalty was imposed on the hosts because Ashwin ran on the protected area of the pitch with the umpires already warning Ravindra Jadeja on Day 1 for the same. The actions were taken following the repeated mistakes on Day 2 of the Rajkot Test.
Ashwin breached Law 41.14 (batter damaging the pitch), 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.”.
Cook, speaking on the TNT Sports coverage, pointed out how England fielders Ollie Pope and Joe Root actively brought India's transgressions to the attention of the umpires. Cook also claimed that Jadeja and Ashwin's actions were deliberate rather than accidental.
Alastair Cook said on TNT Sports: “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.”
Cook added, “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?”
Meanwhile, the MCC law states “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”.
On the other hand, Law 41.14 says: “It is unfair to cause deliberate or avoidable damage to the pitch. If the striker enters the protected area in playing or playing at the ball, he/she must move from it immediately thereafter. A batter will be deemed to be causing avoidable damage if either umpire considers that his/her presence on the pitch is without reasonable cause.
If either batter causes deliberate or avoidable damage to the pitch, other than as in 41.15, at the first instance the umpire seeing the contravention shall, when the ball is dead, inform the other umpire of the occurrence. The bowler’s end umpire shall then warn both batters that the practice is unfair and indicate that this is a first and final warning. This warning shall apply throughout the innings. The umpire shall so inform each incoming batter, inform the captain of the fielding side and, as soon as practicable, the captain of the batting side of what has occurred.”
The law concluded, “If there is any further instance of deliberate or avoidable damage to the pitch by any batter in that innings, the umpire seeing the contravention shall, when the ball is dead, inform the other umpire of the occurrence. The bowler’s end umpire shall disallow all runs to the batting side, return any not out batter to his/her original end, signal no-ball or wide to the scorers if applicable, and award 5 penalty runs to the fielding side.”
(With AP/PTI Inputs)
