There was a brief point in time when a video on the first day of the game showed that Ravindra Jadeja applied some kind of substance to his finger before going to bowl. The clip was followed by some serious vitriol from the Aussies and somewhat of a jibe from Michael Vaughan who believed that there was some kind of foul play at work.
However, former Indian cricketer, Ravi Shastri clarified what exactly went on the scene and also came up with a staunch response, shutting up the critics once and for all. Ravindra Jadeja was in fine touch against Australia on the opening day of the series where he claimed a fiver, leaving Australia skittled out for a paltry 177.
His victims included Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matt Renshaw, Pete Handscomb and Todd Murphy. He was turning the ball both ways and the Australians found it extremely difficult to break their way into reckoning. Not only did Jadeja shine with the ball in his arms but his batting flair allowed India to launch a full-blown turnaround and extend their lead after a middle-order collapse that saw India’s finest falling for cheap.
Talking on air, Ravi Shastri said, “I have not heard much about it. I have asked two questions. Was there any problem with the Australian team? The answer was ‘no’. Did the match referee come into play? He was told about it, he cleared everything, matter ends. Why are we discussing anybody else? And to be honest, ointment as a reliever, the match referee would have been told if there was any decision to be taken or action, he would have taken it. By the way, on this track, you don’t need anything, the ball will turn.”
Jadeja’s unbeaten 66 accompanied by Axar Patel’s brilliant showdown in the end helped India to secure a mammoth lead of 144 runs at the end of the day as Australia seemed pretty troubled despite a thunderous second session.
