India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s dismissal in the first One-day International between India and West Indies at Chennai saw both captains – Kieron Pollard and Virat Kohli in an animated mood. There was confusion surrounding the dismissal umpire Shaun George dithered.
The incident took place in the 48th over of the Indian innings, which was bowled by pacer Keemo Paul. Jadeja hit the ball crisply to extra cover, where Roston Chase was stationed. Chase hit the stumps with his throw and a polite enquiry from the West Indies all-rounder about a possible run out was turned down by umpire George.
Moments later, West Indies captain Pollard was seen waving his arms at the umpire, who then decided to refer the decision to the TV umpire. The events that unfolded saw Kohli step out of the pavilion and wear a confused look.
Jadeja was given out after replays showed him being short of the crease at the non-striker’s end.
However, there are questions that remain unanswered: How much time can an umpire take before going upstairs for a decision? Umpire George was seen shaking his head when Chase initially had a word. Did pressure from Pollard and the West Indian fielders alone make him reconsider his decision? What if someone from the West Indian dressing room had seen the replay and relayed the message to the fielding team?
Irrespective of the result, the incident is expected to be a talking point in the contest. The hosts reached 287/8 in Chennai with Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer scoring fluent fifties.
‘Never seen this in cricket’
After the game when Kohli was asked about the incident, he said: “The fielder asked about the run-out and the umpire said not out. This dismissal end there. The people sitting outside cannot tell the fielder and they can’t ask the umpire about reviewing the run out. I have never seen this in cricket. I don’t know where the rules are. The referee and the umpire have to take this up and decide. The people sitting outside the field shouldn’t dictate what happens on the field and that’s exactly what happened there.”
West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard chose not to dwell on it too much.
“Eventually whatever took place at that time, the right decision was made and that’s the most important thing for me,” said Pollard.
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