ICC takes action against Mohammed Siraj; India pacer pays the price for using 'provocative language, gesture' on Day 4

Mohammed Siraj was fined 15 per cent of his match fee for his aggressive reaction after dismissing England opener Ben Duckett on day 4 of the match.

India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, on Monday, was penalised by the ICC for breaching the Code of Conduct during the ongoing third Test match against England at Lord's. He was fined 15 per cent of his match fee for his aggressive reaction after dismissing England opener Ben Duckett on day 4 of the match.

India's bowler Mohammed Siraj celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England's batter Ben Duckett during the fourth day of the third Test match (PTI)

The incident happened in the sixth over of England's second innings on Sunday when Siraj dismissed Duckett for 12 runs at the start of Day 4 in London. The England batter wanted to take the bowler to the cleaners as he tried to hit the back of the length ball down the ground, but failed to get enough width on it as he dragged it off the thick inside half and picked out Jasprit Bumrah at mid-on.

After the dismissal, Siraj celebrated aggressively close to the batter, and in his follow-through, even made contact with Duckett as the batter was on his way back to the Lord's Long Room.

Siraj was guilty of breaching Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to "using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match."

In addition to the fine, Siraj was also handed one demerit point, which was added to his disciplinary record. It was his second offence in the last 24 months, thus taking his tally to two demerit points after the Lord's incident.

If a player accumulates four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points, and the player is banned.

Lord's Test tantalisingly poised

A tantalising Day 5 awaits at Lord's after a maddening final 30 minutes on Day 4, where England picked three quick wickets to reduce India to four down in the chase of 193 runs.

Earlier in the day, Joe Root, who scored a century in the first innings, put on a valiant 67-run stand with captain Ben Stokes. But on 40, he was bowled by Washington Sundar, who also got rid of in-form Jamie Smith for eight to reduce the hosts to 175-6 at Tea.

India eventually bundled England for 192 in the final session after Sundar finished with excellent figures of 4-22, his best on overseas soil, following the final wicket of Shoaib Bashir.

India, however, suffered an early setback in their chase. Yashasvi Jaiswal departed for a duck after falling victim to Jofra Archer for the second time in the game. KL Rahul and Karun Nair looked to steady the ship, and the duo built a small partnership before a lapse in judgment opened the gates for England with the latter's departure. Captain Shubman Gill made his way out in front of a hostile England camp, and the mind games worked to perfection as Brydon Carse trapped him plumb in front.

With 15 minutes left, India sent Akash Deep as the nightwatchman, but Stokes removed him at the stroke of Stumps, leaving India at 58 for four. The visitors need 135 runs more, with six wickets in hand, to claim a 2-1 lead in the series.