Angry Dhoni must let BCCI do the talking

It is one thing for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to support Ravindra Jadeja vehemently in the storm that has engulfed the India vs England series.

Quite another, to speak out at International Cricket Council's match referee David Boon's decision to slap a 50 per cent match fee fine on the all-rounder. It's a free world, but the ICC Code of Conduct disallows players from commenting on decisions made by the match referee.

Firstly, it is an irony to hear Dhoni hitting out ("To me, it's a very hurtful decision. Frankly, I feel a lot of things were neglected in judging the case.") because the same celebrated cricketer didn't have anything to say to assure the cricket-loving people of India who were hit by the spot-fixing controversy during the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League.

Silent in 2013
Instead, he virtually sealed his lips and smiled at journalists at a pre-departure media conference in Mumbai before the Champions Trophy. No clause could prevent Dhoni from reacting to one of the biggest controversies in Indian cricket.

Secondly, if Dhoni felt so strongly about Jadeja's punishment and believed it was time to reveal the sequence of events in the Jadeja vs Anderson fracas, his Board could have conveyed the angst in a statement further to their basic objection to Boon's decision.

In this age, Dhoni is not expected to be passive and diplomatic, but as a well-respected player, he must go by procedure when it comes to a delicate issue like the current controversy.

While India are trying to get justice and clear the name of Jadeja, who they claim is innocent and being unjustifiably targeted, the captain cannot keep his off-stump exposed, as it were.

And while we all await the fate of James Anderson, who is accused of pushing Jadeja in the Nottingham Test, may justice prevail at the end of this week.