Ravindra Jadeja's act during IND vs NZ irks ex-New Zealand pacer, who slams umpires for not 'warning' India all-rounder

Ravindra Jadeja's celebration during NZ clash questioned by former cricketer. (BCCI Photo)

India spinners were on fire against New Zealand in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (March 2). Varun Chakaravarthy took five wickets while Kuldeep Yadav took two. Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja added one wicket each to the tally of nine wickets the spinners took that day as the Kiwis lost the game by 44 runs.

In the 33rd over, New Zealand's Tom Latham was trapped by Jadeja in front of the wicket. The former Black Caps skipper went for a reverse sweep but misjudged the line completely.

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The New Zealand batter attempted a reverse sweep but completely misjudged the line, allowing the ball to crash into his back thigh. The impact was so clear-cut that Latham didn’t even consider a review, walking off without protest as the umpire raised his finger instantly.

It was a well-earned wicket for Jadeja, who had been relentlessly probing the batsman.

However, former New Zealand cricketer-turned-commentator Simon Doull was not pleased with a particular act from the left-arm spinner. He criticized Jadeja for running down the center of the pitch both while appealing and celebrating. Typically, players receive a warning for such actions to prevent surface damage, but in this case, the umpires chose not to intervene. Doull was unimpressed, questioning why the breach of regulations went unchecked.

"Did you look at that? You can't do that. He should have been warned for his act," he said.

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Coming to the match, India defeated New Zealand by 44 runs on Sunday to top Group A in the Champions Trophy. Shreyas Iyer top-scored for India with 79 off 98 balls while Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel chipped in with 45 and 42 respectively.

Kane Williamson kept New Zealand in the run chase with a sublime 81 before the Black Caps ended with 205 all out in 45.3 overs. Varun Chakravarthy was the standout bowler for India, taking five wickets for 42 runs in 10 overs.

As table toppers, India will face Australia in the first semifinal on Tuesday while New Zealand will play South Africa in Lahore on Wednesday.