Gautam Gambhir banned for One Test
Gambhir banned for One Test
India opener Gautam Gambhir has been banned for one Test following his confrontation with Australia’s Shane Watson during the third match of the Border-Gavaskar series.
Gambhir had stuck an elbow into Shane Watson’s chest while completing a second run en route to his double hundred.
He was charged with a Level 2 offence under a clause which deals with playing the game in the right spirit, while Watson was charged with a Level 1 offence.
Watson, who was seen shoving a clenched fist in Gambhir’s face as the batsman went past for his first run, was fined 10% of his match fee yesterday following a hearing with match referee Chris Broad.
Broad delayed the decision regarding Gambhir’s punishment as he wanted to review video evidence before arriving at his verdict.
Gambhir had been found guilty of a similar offence against Shahid Afridi during a match against Pakistan.
The sentence means Gambhir, the leading scorer in the Border-Gavaskar series, will miss the final Test in Nagpur starting on November 7 although he has the right to appeal.
“The decision to find Gambhir guilty of a Level 2 offence is indicative of the fact that any degree of physical contact is unacceptable,” Broad said.
“Had Gambhir been charged with and found guilty of a charge under 2.4, due to his previous offence, I would have been obliged to impose a minimum penalty of a two-Test match ban.
“In the view of the umpires, the facts of this case - the lightness of the physical conduct and the element of provocation - would not justify such a penalty.
“I have also taken into account the previous offences of Gambhir and therefore, I am satisfied that the penalty imposed is an appropriate outcome in the circumstances of this matter.”
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