With nine first-team players being pulled out of the series due to COVID-19 scare, Team India suffered a 4-wicket defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the second T20I in Colombo on July 28.
Though the Indian batting looked more fragile in the absence of key players, it gave them the opportunity to play young talents and test their game under pressure. Shikhar Dhawan-led side went in with four debutants in Rituraj Gaikwad, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Rana and Chetan Sakariya.
Batting first, India could only manage 132/5 in 20 overs on a sluggish wicket but had three quality spinners to make this a challenging total. However, Dhananjaya de Silva played a very sensible innings for Sri Lanka and took the hosts over the line in the last over.
The last over was given to the debutant Chetan Sakariya with only 8 runs to defend. The second ball of the 20th over was called a wide and that left all the Indian fans fuming as the call was very close and could have been given a legal delivery.
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However, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra felt that the decision didn’t change the result of the game and Sri Lanka were favourites for a win going into the final over.
"Our game is very unique - the only game that has an umpire and not a referee. But what you are actually looking for is just consistency. I think the line moves when the batsman moves, if it doesn't that it won't make any sense because then you are taking everything away from a bowler. If it's a switch it, for example, if a right-hander turns and becomes a left-hander then he should be treated as a left-hander. In fact, it gives something to the bowlers when he beats the batsman on both sides and it's still not a wide because he (the batsman) has changed while the field remained the same," Aakash Chopra said in an interaction on ESPNcricinfo.
While Indian fans were unhappy with the decision by the umpire, Chopra feels that Bhuvneshwar Kumar's delivery in the penultimate over should have been called a wide ball, but was considered a legal delivery.
"A lot of Indians might be feeling slightly hard done by but then Bhuvneshwar Kumar's wide should have been given a wide, it wasn't and now Sakariya's ball didn't look like a wide but it was given. So, it evened out in the hand but the question remained on the consistency," the former opener explained.
"I know there are different umpires on both ends and multiple umpires across the globe so you will not have 100% consistency. But getting as close as possible will resolve this issue. Just have one rule basically while of course, the human element will always be there" Chopra added.
With this victory, not only have the hosts kept themselves alive in the series but also have a chance to clinch the series, with the series decider on Thursday (29th July). The three-match T20I series currently stands level at 1-1.
(Inputs from Timesnownews)
