IND vs ENG 3rd Test: 5 Penalty Runs Awarded to England as Match Officials Punish Team India

Team India has been dominating the ongoing third Test against England in Rajkot, piling up more than 350 runs after opting to bat first. However, the hosts ended up conceding five penalty runs to the opposition even before the conclusion of the innings.

India were penalized by the match officials in the morning session on day 2 of the ongoing fixture when Ravichandran Ashwin ran in the middle of the pitch. The incident took place in the 102^nd over of the Indian innings when Rehan Ahmed was in the attack. The veteran off-spinner looked to steal a quick single but was sent back by wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who was stationed at the non-striker’s end. Ashwin turned around but on-field umpire Joel Wilson gave India a massive shock.

IND vs ENG 3rd Test Day 2 Live

Wilson signaled 5 penalty runs which meant that England would start their innings with 5/0. Ashwin had an intense chat with the umpire but it was of no use. The action was taken because the umpires had already warned Ravindra Jadeja for running on the middle of the pitch on the opening day of the Rajkot Test. Since Ashwin’s act was the second instance, the umpires penalized the hosts straightaway.

Earlier, the overnight pair of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja could add just 5 runs to the total after resuming the innings at 326/5. Veteran pacer James Anderson provided the opening breakthrough of the day, taking down Kuldeep Yadav for 4. Joe Root struck in the very next over to dismiss centurion Ravindra Jadeja for 112.

According to MCC’s law 41.14.1, which comes under Unfair Play section, “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.”

The law further states that a team will receive “a first and final warning”, which will apply throughout the innings.

If the offence is repeated by any team member during the course of the innings, the batting side will be awarded a five-run penalty.

Earlier on Monday, Rohit Sharma and Jadeja made classical Test match hundreds while debutant Sarfaraz Khan announced his arrival on the big stage with a fluent half-century as India reached 326 for five at stumps. With India reduced to 33 for three inside the first hour of play, Rohit (131 off 196) and Jadeja (110 batting off 212) steered the ship through choppy waters with a 204-run partnership.

For England, fast bowler Mark Wood (3/69) vindicated his selection as England’s second pacer with a two-wicket burst in the morning, accounting for Yashasvi Jaiswal (10) and Shubman Gill (0), while spinner Tom Hartley (1/81) got the better of Rajat Patidar (5) to leave India tottering.