India batter Jemimah Rodrigues expressed her disappointment over the umpire's decision to overturn Amelia Kerr's run-out dismissal, calling it ‘harsh’.
India's Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign got off to a shaky start as they suffered a heavy 58-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand in Dubai on Friday (October 3).
However, the umpire's controversial decision was the major talking point from the match rather than the result.
During the 14th over of the New Zealand innings, Kerr pushed the ball towards long off for a single. After a delayed call, skipper Sophie Devine prompted Kerr to run for a second. Harmanpreet Kaur’s sharp throw appeared to run Kerr out, leading to celebrations from the Indian side.
However, the umpires declared the ball dead after the first run had been completed, allowing Kerr to return to the crease. This ruling, which caught India by surprise, led to animated discussions between the Indian players and the umpires.
Despite captain Harmanpreet’s dissent, the umpires' decision stood and Amelia Kerr resumed her innings.
Reflecting on the contentious call, Jemimah said New Zealand were clear that it was a double and that’s why India tried to execute a run-out.
“I was not there when the umpire gave the cap to Deepti. I mean, New Zealand were pretty sure that it was a double run and Amelia Kerr showed that the over was not called out. We all thought, okay, we got that run out," she said in the post-match presser.
Jemimah Rodrigues further stated that Amelia Kerr also knew she was out and thus, she started walking out.
“Honestly, that’s not in our control, and we respect the decision of the umpire. It's a bit harsh when Amelia Kerr herself walked out because she knew she was out," she added.
Nonetheless, Kerr failed to take advantage of it and she was dismissed for 13, two balls later in the next over by Renuka Singh.
Coming to the match, the Women in Blue were completed outplayed by the White Ferns at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Chasing 161 to win, India’s innings folded for a paltry 102 in 19 overs. It was a listless batting display as no one in the line-up managed to touch the 20-run mark.
This result leaves India in a tricky early position in the Group A standings, with defending champions Australia the favorites to top a group that is fascinatingly poised after two outcomes that defied the form.
Rodrigues said the team needs to move on from this disappointment quickly. “Going forward I think we need to have the right approach because the tournament’s not over. We need to take some positives from this game and a lot of learnings from this game.”
India’s number four also commended New Zealand for their aggressive approach with the bat after winning the toss.
“We knew that any team will come hard at us, and I think they came out with a lot of intent. We did create opportunities, but unfortunately we didn’t make the most of it,” she remarked.
India’s remaining Group A fixtures:
India v Pakistan, October 6 – Dubai International Cricket Stadium
India v Sri Lanka October 9 – Dubai International Cricket Stadium
India v Australia October 13 – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
