Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar shared his views on the controversial umpiring call behind Virat Kohli’s dismissal in the ongoing second Test against New Zealand in Mumbai.
The first day of the ongoing second Test match between India and New Zealand saw many events taking place. From rain-affected first session and Virat Kohli’s controversial dismissal to Mayank Agarwal’s century, the opening day was host to everything.
Among all the events, Virat Kohli’s controversial dismissal is what stole the limelight as many fans and pundits have opined on the Indian skipper’s wicket.
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Virat Kohli was trapped LBW for a four-ball duck by Ajaz Patel. The Indian skipper immediately reviewed the decision as he felt that ball hit the bat first. But after checking the dismissal multiple times, the third-umpire had no conclusive evidence and felt the ball hit his pads first before making a contact with the bat, asking for the on-field call to stand.
Kohli had an argument with on-field umpire Anil Choudhary before he walked back to the dressing room and was even seen hitting the boundary rope in anger on his way back.
Speaking on Star Sports, former Indian all-rounder Sanjay Bangar shared his views on the bandwagon. The former batting coach of Team India said that it was an error on part of the umpire as there was deviation and the ball clearly hit the bat first.
"I certainly felt the ball hit the bat first. If you look at that deviation as to where the ball was going after the impact, clearly the ball hit the pad. There was wood on it. Otherwise, there was no chance the ball would have come back that much and hit the pad. Clearly, it was an error on part of the umpire," Sanjay Bangar said.
Bangar said instead of looking at slow-motion shots, the third umpire should focus more on real-time replays of such dismissals. He feels that slowing it down makes it "confusing" for the umpire.
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"What happens when the 3rd umpire looks to make a decision like that, if he looks to slow it down further and further, then it becomes difficult. It’s rather a good thing for the umpire to see it in real-time.
“That’s where you get the cue that there is obviously a deviation. Too much emphasis on slowing it down actually makes it confusing for the 3rd umpire in making the right decision," he said.
At stumps on Day 1, India was 221/4 with Mayank Agarwal and Wriddhiman Saha unbeaten at the crease on 120 and 25 respectively. For New Zealand, Ajaz Patel was the star with the ball as he took all 4 Indian wickets on the opening day.
(Star Sports inputs)
