If the third Test at The Oval turns out to be another charged-up encounter, India will have a psychological edge, no doubt. For starters, they can welcome the English team with the punchline “Mr Beans”, especially if Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth are to have their way.Rahul Dravid, reserved as he is, has tried his best in dissuading the team members from all such banter. The proceedings at Trent Bridge, nevertheless, however, has made this job very tough for the skipper.Sreesanth has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee for shoulder-barging Michael Vaughan after the skipper lost his wicket to Zaheer in the first innings. Match-referee Ranjan Madugalle charged the bowler for breaching clause 2.4 in the ICC Code of Conduct that talks about “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players on the field.” Madugalle, however, added that he was pleased Sreesanth came and apologised for the incident and said he hoped “he learns from his mistake here”.With that friction in the match now solved, the entire focus is now on the “jelly beans”. The Indian team has refused to lodge any official complaint but Zaheer Khan has already said: “It was an insult.”Dravid, too, said on Monday that it was fine if the two teams are fighting hard and there’s a bit of a talk going on, “but there should be a limit”. According to ICC’s Code of Conduct, the clause 4.4 says “using of language or gestures that seriously offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, threatens, disparages or vilifies another person on the basis of national or ethnic origin, colour or gender,” can result in a ban of five Tests or 10 One-Day Internationals, and can go up to a life ban.Clause 2.6 also talks about “deliberate and malicious distraction or obstruction on the field of play” for which the penalty is a one-Test or a two-ODI ban and fine of the entire match-fee.Given the fact that England have ridiculed this incident which has been found to be true based on video evidence, it will be interesting to see what kind of action the ICC takes. Asked whether he has personally spoken to Vaughan or anybody about this, Dravid said: “It is not for me to reveal it here.”Referring to the incident, Madugalle said: “It is the time to talk. It is to remind the captains that they are responsible for the behaviour of their respective sides. That filters down to the players, to see that such incidents are not repeated in the future.”
