MSD speaks out: Hurt by verdict against Jadeja

SOUTHAMPTON: Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday set the cat among pigeons by criticising Match Referee David Boon's decision to fine Ravindra Jadeja 50 per cent of his match fee for his role in his spat with England pacer James Anderson on the second day of the Trent Bridge Test. Dhoni, who claimed that Jadeja had been passive throughout the incident, stood by his teammate and hoped that the BCCI lawyers will find a way to appeal against the punishment.
The Indian captain, whose eye-witness account threw new light on the July 10 incident, said: "To me, it is a very hurtful decision. A lot of things were not taken into consideration while judging the case."
Then he narrated the whole incident without taking Anderson's name. "The umpires called for lunch, and as we started walking off the field, the other individual (Anderson) started using foul language against Jadeja. I had to step in. But by the time we reached the boundary rope, I thought the matter had been defused.
"When we were passing through the members' area, Jadeja was a couple of yards behind me. (At this stage) Again something happened. Something was said to him and Jadeja turned back to face the individual. After this he (Jadeja) was pushed. He somehow managed to regain his balance and again looked back at the individual. And on the basis of this, he has been fined.
"It was said that it (the incident) had been against the spirit of the game. We couldn't have ignored what happened. If someone is saying something to you from behind and you just turn and look, that is not being aggressive. The fact is that his bat was under his armpit till we entered our dressing room. And he did not speak one word.
"So a lot of things were ignored. It's for you guys to decide. All I am saying is that I have not lied on factual matters. I don't think there was even a little bit of aggression (on Jadeja's part) and that is why I am very hurt by the verdict that has been given," Dhoni concluded his monologue.
Elaborating on the issue, Dhoni reasoned: "Suppose we go into the lobby and someone from behind says, ‘excuse me' and I turn around, it can be deemed an act of aggression. Tomorrow if I ask my players not to say a word, but they may feel that they would be better off abusing the guy in retaliation as they stand to lose 50 per cent of their match fees anyway."
Dhoni also wondered why the match referee had downgraded the Level 2 charge against Jadeja to Level 1. "That's the beauty of it. It was a Level 2 charge, but Jadeja gets punished under Level 1 under which you cannot appeal against the verdict. But BCCI and its legal experts are working things out," said Dhoni.