Axar Patel named suspended Ravindra Jadeja's replacement for 3rd Sri Lanka-India Test

Mumbai: Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday named Axar Patel as suspended Ravindra Jadeja’s replacement for the third Sri Lanka vs India Test which will commence in Pallekele on August 12.

Jadeja, who won the Man of the Match award for his all-round show in India’s thumping win over Sri Lanka in the second Test, was suspended from the third and final Test against Dinesh Chandimal and Co for a case of misconduct. He was also docked 50 per cent of his match fees.

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee on Tuesday named Axar Patel as the replacement for Ravindra Jadeja in the team for the 3rd Test, which starts from August 12, 2017, at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium,” said Indian cricket board in its media release about Patel’s inclusion in the side.

Jadeja was reported to ICC’s Elite Panel of umpires when he allegedly threw the ball at Sri Lanka batsman Dimuth Karunaratne, who lead Sri Lanka’s resilient fight, albeit in a losing cause, with a steady 141 off 307 deliveries.

The incident took place after the 58th over, when Jadeja, fielding off his own delivery, hurled it dangerously close to Karunaratne.

By doing so, the Saurashtra man has breached Article 2.2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personel, which prohibits players from “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) at or near a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other third person in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an International Match.”

The incident was reported by on-field umpires Bruce Oxenford and Rod Tucker, third umpire Richard Illingworth and fourth umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge.

This infringement of the ICC Code of Conduct could go on to haunt him in the future as well. Jadeja has now accumulated six ICC demerit points, and could face further bans, should he go on to pick up two more points within the next 24 months.