Former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist was not bit pleased with Rishabh Pant engaging in a heated exchange with the on-field umpire during the IPL 2024 match between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday (April 12).
During the fourth over of LSG’s innings, Pant was seen having an argument with one of the on-field umpires. He looked visibly angry after DC lost a review on a wide-ball from Ishant Sharma to Devdutt Padikkal.
Initially, commentators speculated that Pant may have been hesitant to take the review, but subsequent replays showed the wicketkeeper signaling for the referral.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Gilchrist said that umpires should have more control over the game rather than being carried away in needless discussions during a match.
He went on to say that umpires should be given the power to fine a player, if they keep extending the conversation.
“I saw another example tonight where umpires need to take better control of games, and that is in any format. They just got to do a better job at moving things forward. There was a dispute over whether Rishabh had reviewed it. Okay, there was a miscommunication over the review call. But they stood there and spoke about that for 3-4 minutes. It's a very simple conversation, I believe. No matter how much Rishabh is complaining or any other player is complaining, umpires should just say, 'it's over' and quickly move on. But if he keeps talking, he should get fined,” Gilchrist opined.
Later on, commentators Pommie Mbangwa and Deep Dasgupta clarified that Rishabh Pant’s frustration stemmed from the lack of utilization of the snickometer to determine if there was an outside edge.
Coming to the match, the Capitals restricted LSG to 167/7 after being asked to bowl first. Wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav starred with the ball, picking up three wickets by conceding only 20 runs in his four overs.
In reply, the visitors overhauled the target without breaking a sweat. While Prithvi Shaw played a decent knock of 22-ball 32 at the top, Jake Fraser-McGurk (55 off 35) and Pant (41 off 24) made significant contributions to take DC over the line with six wickets in hand and 11 deliveries to spare.
