Sanjay Manjrekar was disappointed by the way KL Rahul was given out by a TV umpire in the ongoing first Test of the BGT 2024 that got underway on November 22, 2024, in Perth.
As India found itself in trouble losing Yashasvi Jaiswal (0), Virat Kohli (5), and Devdutt Padikkal (0), all depended on KL Rahul to give support to Rishabh Pant and steady the ship.
However, Rahul was given out caught behind by the TV umpire for 26 runs in 74 balls, just as he started to look comfortable on the pitch.
The incident occurred just before lunch when India was 47/4 after captain Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and decided to bat first. Rahul demonstrated patience in his knock but was adjudged caught behind off Mitchell Starc by Australia's Decision Review System (DRS).
On-field umpire Richard Kettleborough determined it was not out, but third umpire Richard Illingworth overruled the call based on Snicko, which revealed a spike as the ball passed Rahul's bat.
Rahul was plainly angry with the choice and walked away, shaking his head. The noise was most likely created by KL's bat hitting the pad rather than the ball.
The use of the DRS ignited a heated debate as former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar questioned the quality of technological support provided to the third umpire.
“First of all, disappointed with what was provided to the TV umpire. He should have got more evidence. Based on just a couple of angles, I don’t think such an important decision in the match should have been made. My point is, with the naked eye there’s only one certainty and that’s the pad being hit by the bat. It’s the only visual certainty we’ve got that with the naked eye. For everything else, you needed the aid of technology, which is Snicko," Manjrekar said on Star Sports.
“So ideally, if there was a bat, as an edge to the ball, there should have been an earlier spike because two events there, and the umpire obviously heard one noise. The visual certainty was the bat hitting the pad. If that was the spike, then there wasn’t an outside edge. If we were shown two spikes, then you could say the first one was the bat. So it was a poor supply of technology to the TV umpire, and he should have said he can’t nail it,” Manjrekar added.
Manjrekar stated that he felt for KL Rahul as this knock could’ve been a game-changer for his career, as he has been under fire for some time.
“If there weren’t two spikes, they should have gone with the visual evidence which was bat hitting the pad. I think it was poor all around, and I don’t blame the on-field umpire. You have to feel for KL Rahul, the amount of hard work that’s been put into opening the innings. And such a big moment personally for him when you look at his career and for India too. Travesty in a way," Manjrekar added.
Meanwhile, India was bowled out for 150 runs, but thanks to captain Jasprit Bumrah’s 4/17, Australia was reduced to 67/7 at the end of day one’s play.
