DRS row: BCCI backs Virat Kohli asks ICC to intervene
- BCCI has requested the ICC to take action.
- ICC should take cognizance of the fact that the Australian skipper Steve Smith in his press conference admitted to a ‘brain fade’ at that moment.
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The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has come out in support of the Indian captain Virat Kohli.
In an official statement released by the BCCI, the body said it ‘stands with the Indian cricket team and its Captain Mr Virat Kohli’.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after due deliberation and seeing the video replays of the episode steadfastly stands with the Indian Cricket Team and its Captain Mr Virat Kohli. Mr Virat Kohli is a mature and seasoned cricketer and his conduct on the field has been exemplary. Mr Kohli’s action was supported by ICC Elite Panel Umpire Mr Nigel Llong who rushed in to dissuade Mr Steve Smith from taking recourse to inappropriate assistance. BCCI has requested the ICC to take cognizance of the fact that the Australian skipper Mr Steve Smith in his press conference admitted to a ‘brain fade’ at that moment. BCCI sincerely hopes that the rest of the matches are played in the true spirit of cricket.”
In the meantime, Australia coach Darren Lehmann dismissed Virat Kohli's allegation that his team repeatedly sought DRS inputs from the dressing room, insisting that the second Test was played the right way.
"Never, ever, ever. Very surprised to hear that, but it's their opinion," said Lehmann when the Australian media asked him about Kohli's controversial claims post India's series levelling win in Bengaluru.
"He (Kohli) has his opinion and we have ours, but at the end of the day we play the game the right way. We've changed the way we want to play, we've obviously changed the side and we're a younger side so I'm pretty pleased with the way we do things now.
"We've never done any of that, so we'll just get on with the next game," said the coach further.
In a fiery post-match press conference yesterday, Kohli said that he had twice seen Australians seeking help from the dressing room for a DRS referral.
Lehmann praised his team for not responding aggressively to Kohli's charge.
"Gone are the days when we used to be probably the other way, and I was part of that as an Australian side. The young guys, the way they want to portray themselves and encourage people to play the game and enjoy the game has been exceptional," he said.
"So I'm really proud of the way they went about it this game, even though we lost."
The situation got out of hand on an action-packed day four when rival captain Steve Smith was seen looking at the dressing room after being adjudged lbw by the on-field umpire.
"I saw that two times happening when I was batting out there," said Kohli, who charged towards the umpires in protest of Smith's action.
"I pointed it out to the umpires, that it's happened twice and I have seen their players looking up there for confirmation and that's why the umpire was at him (Smith).
The Indian captain stopped short of calling Smith a cheat. But former India captain Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar said what Smith did was against the spirit of the game.
However, Cricket Australia has strongly supported him calling the allegations outrageous.
