‘Ball-tampering’ is something that has been on the lips of most cricket followers over the last few days.

Last week, a video surfaced of South Africa’s stand-in captain Faf du Plessis applying saliva to the ball with a mint in his mouth during the second Test between Australia and the Proteas at Hobart.

Once it was brought to notice, the ICC as expected went ahead and investigated the incident.

Du Plessis was later charged, and found guilty and fined for his actions. According to various media reports, the 32-year-old will appeal the decision. If it is not overturned then he risks a one-match suspension, a chance he is willing to take for his reputation.

Following the incident in Hobart, British tabloid the Daily Mail posted screen grabs of Indian captain Virat Kohli shining the ball by applying sugary saliva just like Du Plessis had.

So, why didn’t Kohli get investigated for the incident?

Well, it’s quite simple. The ICC rules clearly state that a player cannot be charged for an incident that occurred over five days ago. The incident involving Kohli happened in the first Test between India and England at Rajkot which was held between November 9-13 and the issue was brought up only on November 22.

While Kohli might have gotten away with it here, expect him to be under more scrutiny when the third Test of the series begins on Saturday at Mohali.