SA v IND 2021-22: Team India lost momentum after Dean Elgar DRS controversy- Shaun Pollock

Team India gets disappointed after Dean Elgar's DRS decision

Everything seemed to be going wrong during the nerve wrecking 3^rd Day of the Cape Town Test which slipped out of Team India’s hands. The players and even the on-field umpires were in shock when the Proteas captain Dean Elgar survived the LBW decision, because of the DRS.

The incident took place in the 21^st over of the 1^st innings, when Ravichandran Ashwin’s delivery hit Proteas’ skipper in front of the middle stumps and umpire Marais Erasmus raised his finger, declaring the batter out, but Elgar opted for a review.

The Hawkeye displayed the ball being pitched in line but was going over the top of leg stump, following which the third umpire had to overturn the on-field umpire’s decision.

The DRS decision seemed to be a technical one rather than an umpiring or broadcasting error, but the results made the Indians furious. Even the on-field umpire, Erasmus expressed his shock and was later heard saying “that is impossible” on the stump mic. After Day 3 was over, former South African player Shaun Pollock said ‘India let the game drift away a bit’ after the questionable decision of Elgar’s dismissal.

Also Read: SA v IND 2021-22: Vaughan, Warne and Gilchrist opine on Kohli's DRS outburst; want ICC to step in

In his post-match review with Cricbuzz, Pollock said that India “lost the plot for a brief time,” after the not-out decision. Speaking about the Indian skipper’s reaction the former pacer said, “ Virat is an emotional captain and that’s often a real positive for the team. I think he just got a little bit upset. They thought they got their second wicket.”

Pollock also mentioned that the wicket being Elgar also made it more emotional.  “They didn’t see it coming and it was a tough pill to swallow for them at that time. After that, there was a period of three or four overs, when emotions were high,” he further added.

The irony was India got Elgar’s wicket on the last ball of the day with the help of DRS. The decision relied upon the Snicko meter which showed Elgar edged Jasprit Bumrah’s delivery to Rishabh Pant.