‘Bhai ye toh devmanus nikle’ – Fans react after former Australian cricketer defended Ravindra Jadeja on rumoured ball-tampering attempt

Former Australia spin bowler Brad Hogg came out in support of India’s star allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, saying there is no need for further discussion on the ball-tampering controversy on Day 1 of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar series at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur.

The former spinner took to Twitter and clarified that Jadeja did not use ointment on the ball and insisted that there was no need for further discussion in the matter.

“If you look closely, there is a cream on Siraj’s hand which stood out clear as day on the TV. Jadeja applied it to his finger, at no stage did he put it on the ball. No need for further discussion,” Hogg posted on his Twitter account.

Only cricket illiterate can make such comments: Salman Butt

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt also backed Jadeja and said that only cricket illiterate can make such comments. Butt said, ‘The Australian media has accused Ravindra Jadeja of tampering with the ball. But what is a spinner going to gain from ball tampering? Only cricket-illiterate people can make such comments.

There were a lot of ruckuses created by the Australian media after the incident in which the left-arm spinner applied a cream to his finger for soreness, which is within the rules of the game. Jadeja was away from cricket for almost five months and has not been used to bowling long spells for some time now. On Thursday, he bowled 22 overs and his fingers were hurting, so this was the reason why he applied the ointment.

The incident was later reviewed by match referee Andy Pycroft and Jadeja was given a clean chit. The 34-year-old made a stunning return to international cricket after taking a five-wicket haul in Nagpur following a long-term injury, hitting a half-century in the first innings.

Earlier on the first day, Australia opted to bat first after winning the toss but failed to score big in the first innings as they got out on the score of just 177 runs. Indian bowlers displayed a brilliant show by bowling with good line and length.

Here’s how the fans reacted: