The quality of officiating in the ongoing Ranji Trophy was once again put to the test when Mumbai’s Shreyas Iyer survived a come-from-behind appeal despite having an apparent advantage over Jammu and Kashmir wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan.
The incident occurred in the 16th minute when Shreyas tried to knock seamer Umar Nazir through the covers, but the ball went to the keeper. There was a distinct edge sound which was apparently missed by umpire S. Ravi. Although Shreyas was killed shortly afterwards, the referees’ decisions were met with criticism.
However, J&K captain Paras Dogra downplayed the issue, saying that such things have been happening for years. “This has been going on for years and there is nothing we can do about it. After all, judges are human and can make mistakes. But if they were a little more careful, it would be nice. But it is part and parcel of the game and that is why they got DRS,” Dogra said.
For the last five years, DRS has been used only in the knockout stages of the Ranji Trophy. “It would be a good experience to have DRS here, but we can’t control it because there are 10-15 matches being played at a time. So it doesn’t matter at all if everyone goes through it,” added the experienced activist.
Despite putting pressure on Mumbai, J&K lost control as Shardul Thakur revived Mumbai after a century. | Photo source: PTI
Despite putting pressure on Mumbai, J&K lost control as Shardul Thakur revived Mumbai after a century. | Photo source: PTI
Despite putting pressure on Mumbai, J&K lost control as Shardul Thakur revived Mumbai after a century. “Shardul’s innings was one of the best I have seen,” Dogra said, adding: “The ball stopped moving after scoring, so that had an impact. Then we tried to do something different and tried goalkeepers, which didn’t work. But Shardul played really well…”
While he still hopes to limit the number of opponents to 250 and then aim for total victory, the Mumbai camp seems to be inspired by Shardul’s magical innings.
As fast bowler Mohit Avasthi, who scored a five, said: “His innings was inspiring. First he scored a priceless fifty in the first innings and then he scored that hundred which allowed us to get back into the game….”
Though Shardul was struggling with cramps, Avasthi was confident that the former would be ready to bowl in the second innings. “It’s no big deal and he’ll definitely shoot the puck,” he said, adding: “Our mindset in the second round was how to come back after missing those quick goals. It wasn’t the first time we were in such a place, but we came back strong and this time too we had a similar attitude…
