Rohit Sharma called Rishabh Pant’s controversial dismissal on day three of the third and final Test of the three-match series at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, as ‘unfortunate’ but added that the on-field decision should have stood.
Rohit Sharma weighed in on the contentious decision by the third umpire to rule Rishabh Pant out, with the Indian captain stating that he was not sure why the on-field umpire’s decision was overruled. Pant’s sensational 57-ball 64 came to an end in somewhat controversial manner in the second over after Lunch on the third and final day of the Mumbai Test.
Rishabh Pant’s controversial dismissal at crucial point turns the match on its head in NZ’s favour
In the chase of 147, Pant kept the Indian hopes alive with a majestic half-century, mixing aggression with caution but the star wicketkeeper-batter was declared to be caught ‘bat-pad’ in a controversial decision by the third umpire.
Ajaz slowed it up a bit and bowled it full and on off. The ball turned back in sharply and with bounce as Pant tried to use feet and looked to defend. The ball passed close to his inside edge and popped up in the air with Kiwi keeper Tom Blundell lunging forward to complete the catch.
New Zealand strongly appealed for a caught-behind, but the umpire was unmoved. Despite hesitation, skipper Tom Latham called for a review. Upon assessment, UltraEdge showed a spike as Pant’s bat hit his pad, with another spike when the ball neared the bat.
Pant then approached the umpires, asserting no bat contact. The third umpire, though, overturned the on-field umpire’s call and decided to give the decision in New Zealand’s favour.
Pant was seen having a word with the on-field umpires before he he took the long walk back to the dressing room after scoring 64 off 57. During the review process, UltraEdge picked up a ‘spike’ just as the ball passed the bat.
But at the same time, Pant’s bat also appeared to have made contact with his front pad, something he appeared to be stating to the on-field umpires as third umpire Paul Reiffel went through the replays before overturning the on-field call. The decision had a cataclysmic effect on India’s hopes and the hosts slipped to a 25-run loss shortly thereafter and fell to a 0-3 series sweep.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma questions the technology usage in case of Pant’s dismissal as he felt non conclusive evidence should not be the base to give someone out especially at crucial junction in the match.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma questions Rishabh Pant’s dismissal in 3rd test
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma acknowledged that he failed to understand how the decision involving Rishabh Pant got overturned on Day 3 of the third Test against New Zealand in Mumbai. The right-handed batter revealed that he didn’t see any conclusive evidence for the decision to be reversed and felt it should have stayed with the on-field one.
The dismissal occurred as Pant danced down the track to kick away the ball from Ajaz Patel off his pad as Tom Blundell took the catch. With New Zealand captain Tom Latham sensing an edge to Blundell, he took the DRS.
On replays, there was a spike when the ball passed the bat but the willow was also close to the pad. With third umpire Paul Reiffel ruling it out, several social media users believed there was no conclusive evidence to overturn the decision.
Speaking at a post-match presser, here’s what Rohit Sharma claimed, as quoted by Cricbuzz:
“About that dismissal, I honestly, I don’t know. If we say something, it is not accepted well. But if there is no conclusive evidence, it has to go, it has to stand with the umpire’s on-field decision. That is what I have been told. So, I don’t know how that decision was overturned since the umpire didn’t give him out.”
Pant’s dismissal tipped the scales in the favor of the Black Caps significantly. Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar resisted for a few overs before Glenn Phillips removed the former, followed by Akash Deep immediately on the next ball. Sundar was the last man to be dismissed.
“It felt like he will take us through” – Rohit Sharma on Rishabh Pant
The 37-year-old Rohit Sharma has called for the umpires to apply rules the same way to everyone instead of changing their stance on every instance.
“You know, the bat was clearly close to the pad. So, again, I don’t know if it is the right thing for me to talk about. It is something for the umpires to think about. Have the same rules for every team, not keep changing their mind.
“But again, that dismissal actually was very, very crucial from our point of view. Rishabh was really looking good at that point and it felt like he will take us through. But it was an unfortunate dismissal, got out and then we were bowled out right after that.”
Rohit and Co. will next head to Australia to play in a five-Test series commencing from 22nd November 2024.