JOIN USDahiya upset over umpiring
Nine overs into day three of the Karnataka-Delhi Ranji Trophy game, umpire RM Deshpande complained of dizzy spells and was assisted off the field before being replaced by former first-class umpire SM Yusuf.
Little did the local umpire, who was to be the square-leg umpire for the rest of the match, know that he would have to make a decision that would have a big impact on the Group ‘B’ game at the M Chinnaswamy stadium.
In the 29th over, Delhi’s Vaibhav Rawal went after a full and wide delivery from HS Sharath and only managed to find the edge. Debutant KL Rahul, stationed at first slip, had to dive a distance to his right before holding on to the low ball.
On-field umpire Rohan Pandit consulted Yusuf before asking a reluctant Rawal too leave the field. The decision, however, did not go too well with the opposition camp.
“It was evident that it was taken on the first bounce. This is not the first time in this game (the umpires making a mistake). In the first innings, Unmukt (Chand) got a poor decision. If you have the technology to help you out, then why not use it?” argued a visibly angry Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya, who was not aware that the cameras focused solely on the crease and were only to help in making line decisions.
“If you know there’s an umpire filling in for another umpire who has gone off, then don’t go there (to him). If you don’t get the exact view, then still go and check. I’m not asking the fielding captain to call the batsman back but there are cameras all over. We often check for a no-ball after a wicket falls,” he said.
In case an on-field umpire is replaced, the replacement umpire will be stationed at square leg and will need to check with the match referee (Rajendra Jadeja in this case) when it comes to making line calls such as run outs and stumpings. However, given that this was regarding a questionable catch and the fact that the cameras cannot capture what happens in the slips with their limited angle of view, Dahiya’s reason to vent seemed baseless.
When asked about the controversial catch which according to Dahiya was the ‘game-changer’, Karnataka skipper R Vinay Kumar said: “Frankly, I didn’t see that wicket, I was getting treatment and was off the field, I was out for 40 minutes and then I came back.”