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Rishabh Pant was declared to be caught ‘bat-pad’ in a controversial decision by the third umpire.
Rishabh Pant speaking to the on-field umpires (AP)
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.
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.
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“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 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,” Rohit Sharma said when asked about the incident at the post-match press conference.
“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,” he added.
(With inputs from Agencies)
