Former India star Harbhajan Singh has voiced his support for the umpire’s decision to dismiss Virat Kohli in the IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Kohli, who smashed two sixes in his 18-run knock, looked promising at the crease before being given out lbw to a beamer delivery bowled by Harshit Rana.
The RCB stalwart challenged the on-field umpires’ call, but the third umpire upheld the decision, prompting Kohli to argue and leave the field in anger.
Harbhajan backed the umpire’s call, explaining that Kohli was out of the popping crease and the delivery was a slower one that would have dipped below the waistline if Kohli had stayed in the crease.
“When got out the ball was high, it was a slower delivery and there was a lot of debate about whether it should be deemed as no-ball because the ball was above the waistline. Virat was standing outside the crease and when you are that far hawkeye measures the waistline from the popping crease (the white line). This year BCCI has measured the height of each player and if the ball passes above the waistline then it is given a no-ball if not then the decision is not given,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
“If Kohli was inside the crease then the ball was close to 0.92m which is less than Kohli’s waistline (1.04). When we saw it from the naked eye the ball seemed quite high but Kohli was well outside the crease. The ball was going to dip because it was a slower one, if the ball was bowled with pace it could have been a no-ball. He was given out according to the rule. I believe that the ball would have dipped if he had stayed in the crease,” Harbhajan added.
After the third umpire’s decision, Kohli was seen arguing with the on-field umpire about his dismissal. He also smashed his willow on the ground and hit a trash can with his gloves while walking back to the pavilion.
RCB skipper Faf du Plessis weighed in on the controversial decision after the match, saying, “Obviously, the rules are the rules. Virat and myself at that stage thought that possibly the ball was higher than his waist. I guess they measure it on the popping crease.”
“In those situations, you’ll always have one team that’s happy and one team that doesn’t feel like it’s quite the right decision. But that’s just how the game works,” he added.
