Virat Kohli was given out on a high full toss with the TV umpire concluding that the ball was dipping.
Former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu, who made his return to commentary in the IPL 2024, called for a change in the cricketing law in the aftermath of Virat Kohli’s controversial dismissal in the KKR v RCB match on Sunday.
Harshit Rana, the KKR pacer, caught the ace hitter off guard with a dipping high full delivery. As Kohli attempted to defend the beamer, he got a leading edge, with the ball bouncing back to the bowler for a simple catch.
While the on-field umpires handed it out, the former RCB captain instantly requested a review, convinced that the ball was above his waist. But he was upset when the TV umpire did not overrule the ruling.
According to TV replays, Kohli was out of his crease when the ball struck his bat. It was projected that the ball will pass Kohli at a height of 0.92 meters above the ground. Kohli’s waist was measured at 1.04 metres meaning if the former RCB captain was in his normal stance, the ball would have passed below his waist and hence, it was a legal delivery.
In reaction to this dismissal, Sidhu raised three queries and called for a change in the law in a video shared on his X handle.
“I’m disappointed, not only for Virat Kohli but for RCB as well. If you have a rule in place for the waist-height no-ball, did you notice he stood on his toes almost 6 inches high? Did u count those extra inches while measuring his height.
The biggest thing for me is that a beamer was legalized. Since I started playing the game, I have seen bowlers apologizing even if their attempted Yorker turned into a beamer and surprised the players. So, if the batter steps out and gets hit on the head or shoulder, won’t you even apologize? Are you legalizing a beamer.
The point of impact on his bat was almost 1-1.5 feet higher than his waistline while he was six inches away from the batting crease. So, you mean the ball would dip by 2 feet while travelling those extra 6 inches? So, that’s why I say, this law must change for the better,” Sidhu said in his video.
RCB lost the game to KKR by one run in the chase of 223-run target.