A controversial incident during the first innings of the first Test match between Australia and India in Nagpur has sparked a heated debate. Tim Paine, a former Australian Test captain, was one of the people who noticed that Ravindra Jadeja was up to something before one of his overs.
At the time, Alex Carey and Peter Handscomb were at the crease and the visiting team was in a precarious position at 120-5. It was Jadeja’s 16th over and he had already claimed three wickets for 30 runs.
The TV broadcast caught Ravindra Jadeja in the act, either removing something from the hand of a teammate or from within his own hand using his right hand. He then proceeded to rub his hands and fingers near and around the ball, but the exact nature of the action was unclear. Some speculated that he was applying something to his spinning finger. Tim Paine was shown the video on Twitter, to which he simply responded, “Interesting.”
Despite the controversy, Ravindra Jadeja made a strong comeback by claiming all five wickets in a single session on Thursday. He started by taking the crucial wicket of Marnus Labuschagne, who was one run short of his first Test fifty in India. Jadeja then dismissed Matt Renshaw for a golden duck after he missed a flick shot.
Ravindra Jadeja also secured a crucial wicket by dismissing Steve Smith. Unlike Labuschagne, Steve Smith attempted to play for the spin, but the ball went straight through and he was out. Reflecting on the wicket, Jadeja said, “The ball was coming out of my hand well, and I was able to maintain good line and length. The wicket had limited bounce, so I focused on bowling stump to stump, knowing that I could bring the LBW and bowled dismissals into play.”