Former West Indies pace bowler and now renowned commentator Ian Bishop feels that Jason Holder‘s catch of Rajat Patidar wasn’t legit. In a match where GT dominated RCB, there was a moment in the game that drew controversy as Jason Holder ran across the turf to take the brilliant catch and remove Rajat Patidar. But the question is, did he take it cleanly? The RCB camp, led by Virat Kohli, thought otherwise and led the protests. Replays showed that while Holder did take the ball cleanly and held on to it while sliding across the turf, the ball might have touched the grass as Holder got up.
RCB quick Bhuvneshwar Kumar also echoed the team’s sentiments, saying he thought the ball touched the ground in a press conference after the game. TV umpire Abhijit Bhattacharya did have a closer look and determined that Holder was in control of the ball for long enough and gave it out. The RCB team was furious but had to accept the final call from the umpires and TV umpires.
Ian Bishop gives his verdict on the catch.Â
Ian Bishop was part of the panel discussion at ESPN Cricinfo and had his say on the matter. He felt that the catch wasn’t legit, and his colleague Abhinav Mukund agreed with him.
Ian Bishop said, “My debate on it would be: Jason Holder, first, he caught the ball, no problems with that. And then with the sliding of the hand initially, that deserved a second look. And then you talk about the control of the ball, but also the control of the body. So when you’re looking to get yourself up, having slid along the ground, are they determining that his fingers were under the ball?”Â
Ian Bishop further added, “Because the back of the hand was to the sky, which means the ball was facing the grass. And so there was to me doubt there about ball and ground, because you’re not in control of your body until you stop sliding and you stand up if you’re going to do that.”Â
Ian Bishop concluded, “So, out or not out? I think there was sufficient evidence in my mind for that to be not out.”Â
Abhinav Mukund too concurred with Ian Bishop and felt the replays were inconclusive and the benefit of the doubt should have gone to the batting side.
Rajat Patidar’s catch changed the momentum of the innings.Â
This Jason Holder catch came at the pivotal moment of the game. RCB were going decently at 79/2 in the 8th over with a healthy run rate. Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar were forging a partnership, and then this moment that went GT’s way happened. It resulted in a break in play and then a flurry of wickets as RCB lost 6/47 from 79/2 to 126/8 to lose the plot. Had this decision NOT been OUT, then who knows, RCB may have done well and got to a big total.
But this dismissal derailed RCB, and credit to GT for doing well and taking advantage of it. But it shows what even one debatable decision can lead to, and change the complexion of the match. RCB should not have collapsed the way they did, but it is still a massive moment in the game that tilted the game in the home team’s favour.
RCB would like to forget this game as quickly as possible. They are still well-placed in the points table in second place, while GT now have a lifeline to challenge the top 4 teams. The tournament is nicely set up as we get ready for RR vs DC live from Jaipur later tonight.
Also Read: GT vs RCB: Jason Holder’s All-Round Show Sinks RCB