London, Aug 16 (IANS): The Indian team management has refused to blame England players for ball tampering after pictures and videos of them keeping their shoe spikes on the ball emerged on social media during play on Day 4, on Sunday.
Indian team's batting coach Vikram Rathour said it was not a deliberate attempt to tamper with the ball.
"We didn't see the replays initially as we were in the balcony. We saw them later. It didn't seem deliberate to us and looked accidental," Rathour said in a reply to a query from IANS during the day-end interaction with the media.
Several pictures of England players scuffing the ball with their spikes on the fourth day of Lord's Test left fans and former cricketers alleging ball tampering.