In the first match of the three-match ODI series between India and New Zealand held in Hyderabad on January 18, Wednesday, India’s vice-captain Hardik Pandya possibly fell victim to poor umpiring. While batting first, Shubman Gill scored a brilliant double century for India. Apart from him, no other batter was able to stay at the crease for a considerable period.
Hardik’s dismissal was undoubtedly a controversial dismissal and perhaps, a bonus wicket for the Black Caps. The bail clearly fell forward, which means the keeper’s glove should have flicked it. The TV umpire seemed to have missed it. The delivery nipped back in, cramping Hardik for room on the cut, and the extra bounce meant that he missed it completely.
Watch the video here:
How wtf was Hardik out here ??? Don't think the ball touched the stumps here man !!..@ICC please arrange better umpires next time. #notout #HardikPandya𓃵 pic.twitter.com/ynEdYAdCGU
— Vaibhav TYAGI (@Vaibhav82426044) January 18, 2023
The bail came off and the Kiwis appealed for a bowled dismissal. They weren’t entirely sure, more so Latham who was behind the stumps. The question really was whether it was the keeper’s glove that disturbed the bails. It was very tight on the replays to be fair, although it did seem like the keeper’s deflection. The third umpire though ruled it in favor of Latham, and a perplexed Hardik walked off unhappy to the pavilion.
Brilliant batting performance by Shubman Gill
On this decision of the third umpire, the former cricketers present in the commentary panel were also seen expressing their displeasure. Mohammad Kaif and Sanjay Manjrekar clearly considered Hardik not out. During the discussion, Kaif could not believe that the vice-captain of India was given out in this way. Sanjay, on the other hand, repeatedly expressed his displeasure over the umpire’s decision, demanding a replay.
Talking about the first innings, it took a masterclass from one man to singlehandedly push India to a monstrous total of 349 runs. There was no stopping for Gill today. The other batters gave him support, notably Rohit, SKY, and Hardik but nobody had the fluency that Gill had in his knock.
Here’s how the fans reacted to Pandya’s dismissal:
Don't call it unlucky.
It was clearly poor umpiring— OWL (@atsntosh) January 18, 2023
Duniya ke sbse dumb insaan yaa to wwe mein referee bnte hain
Yaa cricket mein 3rd umpire 😕— Jagdeep Sandhu (@Jaggu_aar) January 18, 2023
Third umpire ganja fuk kr umpiring kr raha h lgta h 😏
— bansal (@mohitbansal74) January 18, 2023
Le 3rd umpire pic.twitter.com/ttN07MQuLc
— prem-Bhai (@yours_baap) January 18, 2023
Blind tha umpire ben stokes
Aur neutral umpires kyu nahi Lata BCCI— AJ Amit (@ajamit64) January 18, 2023
RIP umpiring
— Navjot Singh (@NavjotS24244048) January 18, 2023
क्या अम्पायर इतने अंधे होते हैं कि उन्हें वो भी दिखाई नहीं देता जो एक आमदर्शकों को दिख जाता है….🤔
— Umashankar Sahu (@umashankar0786) January 18, 2023
Kya soch ke isko third umpire banaya hai ?
— Deepshikha singh (@Deepshikhasays) January 18, 2023
