Watch: Ravindra Jadeja penalized for running in the danger area

Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja walked out to bat in Indore when Ajinkya Rahane got out after fantastic 188-run knock came to an end. He joined Rohit Sharma in the middle who looked set to give the team the finishing punch they needed. The message from the dressing room was clear- play your shots and score quick runs and take the total beyond 550 as early as possible.

During his 27-ball stay at the crease Jadeja on the 5th ball of the 167th over from New Zealand pacer Trent Boult was penalized for running in the danger area. Umpire Bruce Oxenford had already warned Jadeja once to make sure he isn’t running in the danger area and damaging the pitch.

He repeated it again and it resulted in a penalty of five runs for the Indian team which will be added to New Zealand’s total. That was not all, he had cut that ball and run a single the umpire also overturned that run and asked him to return back to the batting crease. So overall it cost the team 6 runs.

This was not the first time Jadeja received a warning for entering the danger area. In the second Test of the series at Kolkata, he was warned by the umpire for getting into the restricted zone while bowling.

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Umpire Oxenford was spot on with his decision and imposed the penalty as per Law 42 of the MCC.

The law on the MCC website reads:

11. Damaging the pitch – area to be protected

(a) It is incumbent on all players to avoid unnecessary damage to the pitch. A player will be deemed to be causing avoidable damage if either umpire considers that his presence on the pitch is without reasonable cause.

It is unfair to cause deliberate damage to the pitch.

(b) An area of the pitch, to be referred to as ‘the protected area’, is defined as that area contained within a rectangle bounded at each end by imaginary lines parallel to the popping creases and 5 ft/1.52 m front of each, and on the sides by imaginary lines, one each side of the imaginary line joining the centres of the two middle stumps, each parallel to it and 1 ft/30.48 cm from it.

14. Batsman damaging the pitch

(a) If either batsman causes avoidable damage to the pitch, 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

(i) warn both batsmen 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 batsman.

(ii) inform the captain of the fielding side and, as soon as practicable, the captain of the batting side of what has occurred.

(b) If there is any further instance of avoidable damage to the pitch by any batsman 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 then

(i) disallow all runs to the batting side from that delivery other than the penalty for a No ball or a Wide, if applicable.

(ii) additionally, award 5 penalty runs to the fielding side.

(iii) return the batsmen to their original ends.

(iv) inform the captain of the fielding side and, as soon as practicable, the captain of the batting side of what has occurred.

(c) The umpires together shall report the occurrence as soon as possible after the match to the Executive of the batting side and to any Governing Body for the match who shall take such action as is considered appropriate against the captain and player or players concerned.

Here is what actually happened: