Ravichandran Ashwin ran on the protected area of the pitch, due to which umpire Joel Wilson awarded 5 penalty runs to England.
Team India was slammed a five-run penalty during the third Test of the series against England at the Niranjan Shah, Rajkot. The incident occurred when India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin ran on the protected area of the pitch while batting during the first session of Day 2.
During the 102nd over of India’s innings, R Ashwin smashed Rehan Ahmed through covers. Ashwin then ran down the pitch and stepped up on the protected area which forced umpire Joel Wilson to award five penalty runs to England. The umpire had a word with the veteran offspinner, who was seemingly upset at the umpire’s decision.
Law 41.14.1, which concerns about batters damaging the pitch, states: “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.”
“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.”
Yesterday, allrounder Ravindra Jadeja committed a similar offence of running on the danger area and he had been given the ‘first and final warning.’ As a result, England will now start their innings at 5/0.
