Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at England's Jonathan Trott, saying the player "breached the spirit of cricket" by refusing to acknowledge that he had not cleanly taken a catch on the opening day of the first Test.

Fielding at first slip on the first day, Virat Kohli offered a catch which Trott claimed to have taken cleanly but then the TV replays showed otherwise.

"It was quite clear that the spirit of cricket was breached. I think there should have been a sanction against Trott," Gavaskar said.

Gavaskar recalled a similar incident that had taken place in the past, during a match between England and Pakistan.

"The way he claimed it, I believe that we have seen in the past when there was a Pakistani wicketkeeper who appealed against Ian Botham. That was a similar situation and the English media tore him (Pakistan player) apart.

"I don't know what the English media has written now. I do believe if that particular thing needed a sanction (this should also)," he said.