On eve of the match, Dhoni, speaking at length about the incident, said that Jadeja didn’t speak a single word or show aggression.

(Source: AP)

England pace bowler James Anderson has confessed to pushing Ravindra Jadeja at the hearing conducted by match referee David Boon, where the Indian all-rounder was found guilty of a Level 1 offence. This emerged from the Indian camp on the day skipper MS Dhoni called ICC’s decision to penalise Jadeja “very hurtful” as “a lot of things were neglected in judging the case.”

At the hearing, it is learnt, that Anderson’s legal counsel had argued that the England fast bowler was instigated by Jadeja.

On eve of the match, Dhoni, speaking at length about the incident, said that Jadeja didn’t speak a single word or show aggression.

The Indian skipper, without naming Anderson, said that the “individual” had been abusing Jadeja as the team left the ground. “By the time we were going through the members’ area I was ahead of Jadeja. Something was said to him. And he just turned across to the individual and after that he was pushed. And he barely gained his balance and he turned to see as to what is happening. And on the basis of that he is fined. That is not aggressive. The bat was under his armpit throughout.”

Dhoni whole-heartedly supported the BCCI’s decision to appeal the ICC verdict. The Indian board, on Thursday had said that it was not satisfied with Jadeja being fined 50 per cent of his match fee for the incident that happened on the second day of the first Test at Trent Bridge. Dhoni also commented on ICC appeal’s process, whereby a Level 1 offence can’t be appealed.

“The beauty of Level 1 is you cannot appeal against it. But BCCI and the legals (legal team) are working things out. We are definitely not at all happy with the verdict. I have dictated what the facts were.”