The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), helmed by the Supreme Court Appointed Committee of Administrators (COA), backed skipper Virat Kohli's allegations against Australian skipper Steven Smith for attempting infringement of the Decision Review System (DRS) rule.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India, after due deliberation and seeing the video replays of the episode, steadfastly stands with the Indian Cricket Team and its Captain Mr Virat Kohli,” BCCI said in a media statement issued on Wednesday afternoon.
Describing the Indian captain as a “mature and seasoned cricketer”, the statement further said, “...his conduct on the field has been exemplary. Mr Kohli’s action was supported by ICC Elite Panel Umpire Mr Nigel Llong, who rushed in to dissuade Mr Steve Smith from taking recourse to inappropriate assistance.”
It is understood that Vinod Rai, Chairman of the COA, himself worded and vetted the statement before issuing its release.
Furthermore, the matter has been taken up with the International Cricket Council by the Indian board. A letter to the same effect has been sent by CEO Rahul Johri to ICC General Manager Cricket Geoff Allardice. “BCCI has requested the ICC to take cognizance of the fact that the Australian skipper Mr Steve Smith, in his press conference, admitted to a ‘brain fade’ at that moment. BCCI sincerely hopes that the rest of the matches are played in the true spirit of cricket.”
The BCCI also attached video clips of Smith admitting to his now infamous “brainfade moment” in the post match press conference. It also gave a link to the video footage of the match when the incident occurred and Kohli's protest to the on field umpires.
Earlier in the day, Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland, currently in Bengaluru, described Kohli's allegations on Smith as “outrageous”. Australia's head coach Darren Lehmann has vehemently denied having an illegitimate protocol in place for DRS reviews. Smith also got backing from Australian Players' Association.
Meanwhile, ICC Match Referee Chris Broad has allegedly broken ICC protocols by speaking to the Australian media denying getting any complaint about the incident. According to a source in Indian cricket, Broad has allegedly given an assurance to Cricket Australia that no action will be taken against Smith after Australian Team management officials met him at the Chinnaswamy Stadium post the match. The Australian team left very late from the ground. This is why, reportedly, BCCI CEO Rahul Johri has written directly to the ICC.
