India are shocked that James Anderson has been found not guilty in the Trent Bridge incident involving Ravindra Jadeja, but the case boiled down to one team's word against the other when it became clear crucial video evidence was not available.
The alleged pushing incident took place in the only small corridor that
was not monitored by the ICC's Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU)
cameras, a fact the BCCI is now likely to raise with the ICC. There was
no video evidence presented by the ICC, who was prosecuting Anderson in
this case, to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Anderson had pushed
Jadeja without provocation. However, once the BCCI had laid the charge,
the ICC had no option but to take up the case against Anderson.
Anderson has admitted to pushing Jadeja - by the fact that the ECB did not contest that element of Jadeja's initial hearing
- but his case rested on his version that he acted in self-defence
after Jadeja allegedly turned around aggressively towards him. The BCCI
lawyers were present at the hearing, but they were allowed to
cross-examine the witnesses only in the appeal against the guilty
verdict for Jadeja, which they got overturned successfully.
England added Stuart Broad to the witnesses that appeared in the Jadeja
hearing: Matt Prior and Ben Stokes. India had their physiotherapist,
Evan Speechly, present at the case in addition to Gautam Gambhir and R
Ashwin. The hearing went on for over six hours, but some of the time
went into sorting technical glitches with the judicial commissioner
Gordon Lewis sitting in on the hearing via video link from Australia.
The incident happened as the players were walking off for lunch on the
second day of the Trent Bridge Test. In the last over before lunch,
Jadeja had survived an appeal for a catch at the wicket off the bowling
of Anderson, after which the bowler was seen having a word with Jadeja.
The chirping continued on the way back to the pavilion. The players
walked up the stairs through the crowd, then into a narrow corridor -
where the incident is said to have happened - and then through a
staircase into the individual changing rooms.
