Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Navjot Sidhu was shown in a video posted on X with a bat in hand and dressed in traditional costume, explaining the complexities of the dismissal.
Any match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers Bangalore promises to be exciting. Match 36 of the IPL 2024 did not disappoint. With the match wavering from one side to the other, continually moving as flow patterns changed, KKR eventually emerged victorious by the smallest of margins.
However, the entire match was halted when RCB’s superstar, Virat Kohli, was adjudged caught and bowled off Harshit Rana, first by the on-field umpires and then by the third umpire, over a pretty disputed waist-height judgment. During the game, the commentators shared their perspectives, and it quickly became a source of criticism and introspection for the entire cricketing community.
Kohli, the RCB team, and his adoring fans all believed he was not out since the ball was above waist height at the instant of contact. The umpires and announcer ruled him out because Kohli was outside his crease and the ball would have smacked him below his waist if he hadn’t stepped out.
The law must change for the better …@imVkohli @IPL pic.twitter.com/cQIWaSxIfc
— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) April 21, 2024
The 126-second clip appeared to have been curated with the goal of providing equitable justice, with Sidhu beginning by questioning and calling out the nitty-gritty of what the Marylebone Cricket Club did while drafting the law, considering Kohli was on his toes while the ball made contact with the bat, and questioning whether the rules accounted for an extra inch when mapping the regulation.
“I’m disappointed, not just for Virat Kohli but also for RCB. If you have a regulation in place for the waist-height no-ball, did you notice he standing on his toes almost 6 inches tall? “Did you count those extra inches when measuring his height?” Sidhu asked.
Also read: Irfan Pathan explains Virat Kohli’s contentious expulsion in IPL 2024 to his fans, and the video goes viral
The second issue Navjot Sidhu raised was that the bowler did not even apologize for throwing a beamer and instead celebrated, as opposed to bowlers during his playing days, who would approach batters to check on them and apologize if an intended yorker went haywire.
“For me, the most important thing is that a beamer has been licensed. Since I started playing the game, I’ve seen bowlers apologize, even if their attempted Yorker transformed into a beamer and astonished the other players. So, if the batter steps out and is hit in the head or shoulder, will you even apologize? Are you going to legalize a beamer?” he added.
“The point of impact on his bat was almost 1–1.5 feet higher than his waistline, and he was six inches away from the hitting crease. So you’re saying the ball would dip by 2 feet while traversing the extra 6 inches? So, that is why I believe this law should be changed for the better,” Sidhu concluded.
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