Mahendra Singh Dhoni sports the offending gloves before he was asked to remove them © Getty Images

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was asked to change his wicketkeeping gloves during India's CB Series match against Australia in Sydney after it was found that the webbing between the thumb and the forefinger didn't meet the specifications laid out in the playing conditions.

Ian Healy, the former Australian wicketkeeper and now one of the commentators for Channel 9, later explained to Cricinfo that the webbing was clearly against the laws. "The law states the webbing needs to be flat whereas in this case the webbing was a curved one and also it had a vertical strap running across it."

Dhoni, though, wasn't sure what all the fuss was about. "The match referee wanted the gloves changed," he said. "I've been using them for some time, and they are the exact replica of what I've been using in the Test series." Minutes earlier Dhoni had pulled off a brilliant catch, diving to his right to intercept an inside edge from Adam Gilchrist off Sreesanth.

Law 40.2, which deal with the specifications for wicketkeepers' gloves, states that "if the wicketkeeper wears gloves, they shall have no webbing between the fingers except joining index finger and thumb, where webbing may be inserted as a means of support. If used, the webbing shall be (a) a single piece of non-stretch material which, although it may have facing material attached, shall have no reinforcement or tucks. (b) such that the top edge of the webbing (i) does not protrude beyond the straight line joining the top of the index finger to the top of the thumb; (ii) is taut when a hand wearing the glove has the thumb fully extended."