Ravindra Jadeja Accused Of 'Ignoring' Umpire During Lord's Test In Explosive Remark
Former England cricket team skipper Michael Atherton accused Ravindra Jadeja of ignoring the on-field umpire during the Lord's Test against England.
- NDTV Sports Desk
- Updated: July 19, 2025 07:46 am IST

- Michael Atherton accused Ravindra Jadeja of ignoring the umpire during the Lord's Test against England
- Jadeja allegedly ignored the umpire’s instruction to resume play while having a drink
- "Jaddu was having a drink, and the umpire was pointing towards the watch. And he just completely ignored him!"
Former England cricket team skipper Michael Atherton accused Ravindra Jadeja of ignoring the on-field umpire during the Lord's Test against England. Atherton pointed out the diminishing 'authority' of the umpires in modern cricket and cited the incident involving Jadeja as a concerning example. Atheron said that there was a point in the game when Jadeja was having a drink and although the umpire gestured towards him to continue play, he allegedly ignored his instruction. However, Atherton did not clearly state at what point of the match did the incident take place during the encounter.
“The focus is more on the umpires than the players, for the umpires to just get a grip. I don't know where the diminishing of umpires' authority comes from. Maybe it's the post-DRS thing,” Atherton, who is also a part of the broadcast team, told Sky Sports Cricket.
"Pre-DRS, the umpires were almost omnipotent. Since DRS, maybe that authority has just withered away. There was one point where Jaddu was having a drink, and the umpire was pointing towards the watch and was telling him to get on with it. And he just completely ignored him!"
“So I think there's room for the game to be sped up a bit, without compromising the quality.”
There were multiple incidents during the Lord's Test that raised questions over the umpires' authority.
The encounter was filled with instances of players sledging the batter with the spat between Shubman Gill and Zak Crawley grabbing the headlines. The umpires also came under the scanner for slow over rates for both teams as ex-cricketers urged the officials to step in and take charge of the situation.
Maintaining a slow over-rate during their pulsating 22-run win over India in the Test cost England two points from their World Test Championship (WTC) tally and 10 per cent fine of their match fee.
A statement from the International Cricket Council (ICC) said as per Article 16.11.2 of the WTC playing conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short, and after time allowances were taken into consideration.
(With IANS inputs)