Several controversies have headlined the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy so far, and another one unfolded on Day One of the Oval Test. But this time, it didn’t involve players—it involved the umpire.
The incident occurred on the second ball of the 13th over when Josh Tongue bowled an in-swinging yorker to left-handed batter Sai Sudharsan. Sudharsan tried to defend the ball but lost his balance and fell to the ground. England appealed for LBW, but umpire Kumar Dharmasena shook his head and signalled with his finger that there was an inside edge.
That subtle gesture gave England a hint, and they chose not to go for the review.
However, this act didn’t sit well with former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar. Speaking on Star Sports, Bangar said: “These habits don’t go away easily for umpires because it’s second nature to them. Whenever there is an appeal, you try to say it. Because when Dharmasena had started his umpiring career, there was no DRS then. But now, you are not supposed to give a signal on what’s going on in your mind. Or else, the bowler and the bowling team gets a sort of a hint on what’s going on in the umpire’s mind. The umpire should not have done that.”
Meanwhile, Indian umpire Anil Chaudhary came out in Dharmasena’s defence. Speaking to MyKhel, he said: “It just happens by mistake. No umpire at that level will do it deliberately, hence it just happens by accident. It also sometimes happens with us in domestic matches, as it happens in a flow. But you have to be very careful, especially in the 15-second with the DRS.”
For the latest sports news follow- Revsportz