India were awarded five penalty runs during the second session of Day 1 in the opening Test against England at Headingley on Friday, following a fielding infringement involving England team. The incident occurred when a loose ball struck a helmet that had been improperly placed on the ground.

The moment unfolded when England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith dived to his left in an attempt to collect a wayward delivery. Unfortunately, he failed to gather the ball cleanly, and it deflected off his gloves towards a helmet lying on the field. The ball made contact with the helmet, prompting the on-field umpires to immediately signal five penalty runs in India’s favour, as per the Laws of Cricket.

According to Law 28.2 of the MCC rulebook, if a fielder's equipment, such as a helmet, is left on the field and the ball touches it while in play, the batting side is automatically awarded five runs. Protective gear not in use must be placed directly behind the wicketkeeper and aligned with the stumps at either end. In this case, the helmet had been left in an illegal position, resulting in the penalty.