Stuart Broad shuts down "ball tampering" accusations from ex-India players

Stuart Broad has hit back at accusations that England 's bowlers attempted "ball tampering" in the second Test against India at Lord's.

On social media, pictures were shared of an England player appearing to step on the ball with their spikes and former Indian openers Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra were among those to question whether it was an attempt at "ball tampering".

On Twitter, Sehwag posted a screen-grab of the incident along with the caption: "What is this happening. Is it ball tampering by Eng or covid preventive measures".

Chopra also tweeted: "Ball tampering, eh? #EngvInd"

However, Broad, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the series with a calf tear, was quick to defend his teammates and shut down the accusations.

Responding to a fan, Broad wrote: "My comments are- Woody tried to nut meg Burnsy by tapping the ball through his legs (a very common occurrence) & he missed and kicked the ball there by accident.

"Instead of screenshotting the pic, watch the video- quite plain & easy to see".

Broad also responded to another fan, adding: "As I’m sure you’re aware form watching the full footage- it wasn’t deliberate was it. End of Story".

When asked if the ball should have at least been changed, Broad replied: "Depends If it was damaged? Exactly the same if it was hit into the stands. If it didn’t make a mark, why change it ?"

India ended day four of the Test on 181-6 with a lead of 154 runs, after Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane shared a crucial 100-run partnership.

England got off to an excellent start, with Mark Wood dismissing both KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma cheaply and Sam Curran claiming the prize wicket of India captain Virat Kohli.

However, Pujara and Rahane prevented an immediate collapse by digging in and holding firm, having come into the Test with questions hanging over their futures.

England did eventually dismiss the pair, with Wood bouncing out Pujara and Moeen Ali claiming the wicket of Pujara.

Shortly before the end of the day's play, Ali bowled Ravindra Jadeja with a beauty to set up what will surely be an enthralling fifth and final day.

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