India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni insisted on Wednesday his side had been right to complain about the conduct of England’s James Anderson. England seamer Anderson was charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday for allegedly ‘abusing and pushing’ India’s Ravindra Jadeja during last week’s drawn first Test at Trent Bridge.
If the charge is upheld, Anderson could be banned for as many as four Tests and England have responded by levelling a charge of their own against Jadeja. England captain Alastair Cook suggested at a pre-match press conference at Lord’s, ahead of Thursday’s second Test, that India’s complaint had been a deliberate tactic to get Anderson banned from the rest of the five-match series.
However, Dhoni said: ‘We felt what happened was wrong so we went ahead with the charges. It’s not something that we have done. In a press conference you can ask me tough questions. I have the right to answer them or not to answer them, but in no way can I go and touch you or you can come and touch me. You can put it in whatever way you want to but there are certain things that need to be followed, and it should be followed.’