'Only in gully cricket, not as per actual laws ': Ashwin mocks BCCI for rare dismissal in Ranji Trophy

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took a dig at the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) after Manipur's Lamabam Ajay Singh was given out for hitting the ball twice in a Plate Group Ranji Trophy match against Meghalaya on Wednesday.

Singh tried to intercept the ball that could have hit the stump after defending and was given out for hitting the ball twice. However, on the scorecard, his mode of dismissal shows "hit wicket".

In a post on X, Ashwin said hitting the ball twice is only considered out in 'gully' cricket and is not in the actual laws of cricket.

"Today I got out in gully cricket for the rarest crime ever — hitting the ball twice. First shot: defended. Second shot: panic swipe to save my stumps. Third thing: the entire lane shouting 'OUTTT!' louder than a World Cup final," Ashwin said in a lighter note.

"Lamabam Singh was given out for hitting the ball twice in a Ranji Trophy game. It’s out only in gully cricket and not according to the actual laws of the game," the legendary bowler further said.

"He could've padded it away, but he chose to stop it with his bat and was immediately given out 'hit the ball twice' by umpire Dharmesh Bhardwaj," a venue official told ESPNCricinfo. "The batter walked off the moment Meghalaya appealed."

What to the laws say?

According to Clause 34.1.1 of the MCC Laws, a striker is out 'hit the ball twice' if, while the ball is in play, it makes contact with any part of their body or bat, and the striker then wilfully strikes it a second time with the bat or with any part of the body (other than a hand not holding the bat), before a fielder touches the ball, except when the second strike is solely to protect their wicket.

Previous such instance in Ranji Trophy

In the Ranji Trophy, the last time such a dismissal happened was during the 2005-06 season, when Jammu & Kashmir captain Dhruv Mahajan was ruled out similarly.