ICC rules on suspension have to be consistent, says skipper Kohli
PALLEKELE : India skipper Virat Kohli called for more consistent ICC guidelines on player suspension. The ICC suspended Ravindra Jadeja for the third Test after the India spinner accumulated six demerit points over a 24-month period.
“Lot of things happen in the heat of the moment. But you don’t know what’s going to cost you one point, two points or three points,” Kohli said on Friday.
“If it’s (ICC guidelines) consistent, it’s going to be good going ahead because players will be more aware of how they need to conduct themselves on the field and it’ll only help the game get better,” Kohli said.
Jadeja had entered the Colombo Test with three de merit points that he picked up for running down the middleof the pitch while batting during the Indore Test against New Zealand in October 2016.
He was handed a further three demerit points in the second Test against Sri Lanka when he fielded the ball off his bowling and threw it back at batsman Dimuth Karunaratne, who had not left his crease.
“I think the intent counts nowadays and that’s something that players need to keep in mind. It might be a very small thing but if the intent is to do something bad then, obviously, that is something that counts against the player,” said Kohli.
“The guidelines shouldn’t vary according to how the situation is looked at. So if it is consistent then I think it is going to be good going ahead because players will obviously be more aware of how they need to conduct themselves on the field,” Kohli said.