In Mumbai, India’s third and last Test match against New Zealand ended in a 25-run defeat on November 3. As India’s batting collapsed under strain, the hosts, who were trying to chase down a goal of 147 runs, found themselves in a vulnerable situation.
Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, and Shubman Gill each scored just one run, while Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal left early. The sole bright point of the day for India was Rishabh Pant’s aggressive 64 off 57.
But the dreams of team India were dashed when Pant was controversially fired. As Pant attempted to guard the ball as it came down the track, it struck his pads and fell directly into Tom Blundell’s hands. Pant explained to the match official that the Ultra Edge spiked because his bat struck the pad rather than the ball while a review was being taken, but it was in vain as he made his way back to the pavilion.
Speaking about the same, former cricket player AB de Villiers of South Africa shared his thoughts on the dismissal on X, formerly Facebook.
Controversy! Again, a small grey region. Did Pant receive a bat on that? Snicko will pick up the sounds as the ball passes the bat precisely when a batter hits his pad.
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But are we certain that he hit it? This is something I’ve always been concerned about, and it occurs during a crucial part of a significant Test match. “Where is the hotspot?” de Villiers made a post.
Controversy! Little grey area once again. Did Pant get bat on that or not? Problem is when the ball passes the bat at exactly the same time a batter hits his pad snicko will pick up the noise. But how sure are we he hit it? I’ve always worried about this and here it happens at a…
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) November 3, 2024
Since the other batters were unable to contribute anything, Pant’s expulsion caused a major collapse for Team India. The series ended with India losing by 25 runs.
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