Dhoni slams Jadeja's guilty verdict

MS Dhoni, the India captain, has said the guilty verdict against Ravindra Jadeja for his role in the incident involving James Anderson at Trent Bridge was hurtful and negligent.

In his verdict, the match referee David Boon had said he was "not comfortably satisfied" that Jadeja's role amounted to a Level 2 charge, and punished him for a Level 1 offence. The allrounder was found guilty of "conduct contrary to the spirit of the game" and fined 50% of his match fee.

For the first time, one side's account of the incident that occurred as the players were walking off for lunch on day two of the first Test has emerged. "To me, it is a very hurtful decision," Dhoni, who was witness to the incident, said. "A lot of things were neglected in judging the case. If you see, what exactly happened, the umpires called for lunch and we started walking. I don't want to take any other individual's name. We started walking, and the other individual started using foul language against Jadeja. I had to step in the middle. And by the time we reached the ropes I thought the thing has diffused.

"By the time we were going through the members' area I was ahead of Jadeja. Jadeja was a couple of yards behind me. Again something happened. Something was told 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.

"It was said that it was against the spirit of the game, and everything. What we have to see is, we can't ignore what has happened. If someone is saying something to you from behind and you just turn and you look, that is not aggressive. Especially the fact that the bat was under his armpit throughout - right from [calling of] lunch till he entered the dressing room. Not one word was spoken by him."

Dhoni insisted Jadeja had not been aggressive in his conduct. "So a lot of things were neglected," he said. "It's for you guys to decide the things I am saying and if I have not lied. When it comes to factual matter, Jadeja - whatever he did - was not aggressive. I don't think there was even a little bit of aggression in that, and that is why I am very hurt by the verdict that has been given."

Dhoni was also unhappy about not being allowed an appeal because the first guilty verdict for a Level 1 offence does not have a provision for an appeal. "That's the beauty of it," he said. "Allegation is of Level 2, and Jadeja gets punished under Level 1. The beauty of Level 1 is you cannot appeal against it. But BCCI and legal are working things out. We are definitely not at all happy with the verdict. I have dictated what the facts were."

India had pressed Level 3 charges against Anderson, who will have his hearing on August 1. England's response was a Level 2 charge against Jadeja. India's accusation was that Jadeja had been abused and pushed by Anderson; England said Jadeja had turned around and approached Anderson in an aggressive manner.