India Penalised 60% Match Fee For Slow Over-Rate In first ODI Win Over New Zealand

New Delhi: The Indian team has been fined 60 per cent of its match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against New Zealand in the first ODI at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Javagal Srinath of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after India were ruled to be three overs short of the target, with time allowances taken into consideration.

In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

India captain Rohit Sharma accepted the offence and the subsequently proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Anil Chaudhary and Nitin Menon, third umpire K N Ananthapadmanabhan and fourth umpire Jayaraman Madanagopal levelled the charge.

Coming to the match, India won a closely-fought contest against New Zealand by 12 runs in the ODI series opener. For India, opener Shubman Gill became the youngest player to score a double century in men’s ODIs through his 208 from 149 balls, propelling the side to 349/8.

In reply, New Zealand were down and out on 131/6. All-rounder Michael Bracewell hit 12 fours and ten sixes in his 78-ball 140 while adding 162 off just 102 balls for the seventh wicket with Mitchell Santner, who made 57 off 45 balls.

But India bounced back by taking the remaining four wickets to bowl out New Zealand for 337 and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The sides will next face each other in the second ODI at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Cricket Stadium, hosting its first international match, in Raipur on January 21.