Fifth Test Match: High Tension and Controversy
The fifth England-India Test is being conducted in high-tension situations. Bowlers are applying pressure on the batsmen. There has also been rain interrupting the match at times. England is trying hard to prevent India from equalizing the series. The last two Tests had high tension between the two sides. The same environment persists.
There is no big verbal confrontation this time between England's players. But one man is hogging the limelight — umpire Kumar Dharmasena. There are many cricket pundits who feel that some of his calls have gone in England's favor. Facebook comments and tweets indicate that India is at a disadvantage with him. One particular incident involving KL Rahul and Dharmasena is now trending.
On-Field Incident: Verbal Confrontation Between Players
Joe Root was batting during the first innings of England, and Prasidh Krishna was bowling. Krishna bowled a difficult ball, which Root could not cope with. There was a brief exchange of words. Root then scored a boundary, and the tension mounted.
Umpires Ahsan Raza and Kumar Dharmasena intervened to pacify the situation. Once Root said Krishna had taunted him, KL Rahul went up to Dharmasena to know what was wrong. Dharmasena didn't like Rahul's inquiry. Their exchange was recorded as follows:
Rahul: What are you asking us to do? Are you telling us to remain silent?
Dharmasena: Do you like when bowlers behave like this? It is not acceptable to behave like this.
Rahul: So what do we do then? Bat, bowl, and leave?
Dharmasena: Let us talk of all this later, not now.
DRS Controversy: Controversial Call During India's Innings
During India's innings, Dharmasena's 13th over call added more controversy. Sai Sudharsan received a yorker from Josh Tongue. He lost balance but the ball struck his bat. England still appealed for LBW.
However, before the 15-second DRS timer ended, Dharmasena signaled that there was a clear inside edge. Because of this, England chose not to review. If they had reviewed, they would have lost it. Some Indian fans believe Dharmasena’s signal helped England avoid wasting a review.
Because of these incidents, many fans and analysts are calling Dharmasena an "unofficial 12th player" for England.
Tags Cloud
