Chucking is no crime, stresses Rahul Dravid

Former India captain Rahul Dravid felt that chucking should not be viewed as a crime. At the Dilip Sardesai Memorial Lecture yesterday, Dravid stressed: "I always give bowlers the benefit of doubt."

When asked about Muttiah Muralitharan, whose action was a topic of discussion throughout his career, Dravid replied: "Murali went through every test which was humanly possible, so you have to give him the benefit of doubt. The ICC is being more vigilant. They are not saying that once you are cleared, you cannot be checked again.

"Personally, I don't think we should see chucking as a crime as such. I think it's just a technical fault that people have. If you have a technical fault in your action, go correct it and come back. It's not a crime. You have a no-ball when you over-step the line. No one says you are cheating. They say just come back behind the line so come back behind 15 degrees and play the game."