Virat Kohli’s dismissal in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) vs. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) clash on Sunday, April 21, has sparked controversy. Kohli was dismissed after a beamer from Harshit Rana hit his bat above the waist. The umpire ruled it a dismissal, a decision that Kohli protested vehemently.
Former cricketer Mohammed Kaif took to social media to criticize the umpiring, saying “Clear unplayable beamer gets Kohli out and a ball that passed under Dhoni’s bat declared wide. Cameras, replays, technology but still such mistakes being made. Poor umpiring.” Kohli has since “unliked” Kaif’s post, though his initial endorsement of the criticism has been noted.
According to rule 41.7 of ICC regulations, any delivery that passes or would have passed above waist height of the striker standing upright at the popping crease is to be deemed as unfair. While the ball hit Kohli’s bat above the waist height, he was standing outside the popping crease. The third umpire’s call was supported by technology, which showed that the ball would have been below the waist if Kohli had been standing normally in the crease.
