Controversy broke out during India’s third Test against South Africa after cameras caught the Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli on stump mic expressing his displeasure at the conclusion of DRS.
The incident took place in the 21st over on Day 3, when Dean Elgar was pinned on the pad by Ravichandran Ashwin. Umpire Marais Erasmus adjudged Elgar out for LBW.
However, the Proteas Test skipper opted for a review, while claiming the ball would miss the stumps due to bounce. Elgar, ironically, did not look confident of overturning the decision.
As replays were being shown, Elgar started walking back towards the dressing room before the Hawk-Eye ball-tracking showed the ball to be going over the stumps.
The bounce of the pitch - a significant factor in Dean Elgar's successful review.#SAvIND pic.twitter.com/GI2rXjgjwd
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) January 13, 2022
The first person to react to the surprise call was umpire Erasmus himself, who said, “That’s impossible!” while reversing his original decision.
What followed next was a build-up of frustration and displeasure that was expressed by the visiting cricketers, especially Virat Kohli.
What did Virat Kohli say?
Kohli’s frustration at the DRS decision grabbed the biggest headlines, as he shot a cheeky comment that said, “Well done DRS, very well done!”.
"Focus on your team as well when they shine the ball.. and not just the opposition, trying to catch people all the time," he added further.
Besides Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin and KL Rahul were also heard venting out their displeasure at the decision.
While Rahul said, "It's the whole country against 11 guys", off-spinner Ashwin took a dig at the broadcasters by saying, "You should find better ways to win, SuperSport".
Speaking after the end of the day’s play, former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock said the Indian cricket team were, in fact, confident about the dismissal before the decision came in, thus the show of disbelief that came after.
“India was desperate to get the wicket and the emotion overflowed after that. The ball pitched in line and bounced and Elgar got a good stride forward. With that stride, it was going to be close,” said Pollock.
Was it the right decision? 🤔
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) January 13, 2022
Shaun Pollock and Sunil Gavaskar discuss the use of hawkeye after Umpire adjudged Dean Elgar out lbw but reversed his decision as the tracking technology showed the ball going over the wicket... pic.twitter.com/k9w9ajisE1
“Indians went over the top. Hawk-eye is something you rely on for decision making. It’s an independent body. They do their level best with everything they have got. They have got their own cameras. I can understand the disappointment because they wanted the wicket but I think they went over the top a little bit,” he added.
“Hawk eye, it’s scientific. They got each little point that they plot. And that’s how they work out where it goes. That’s a lot more scientific than any of us. We rely on them to make the decision and that’s what they have done,” Pollock added further.
The recent controversy is just one of the many incidents where it has been urged to turn off stump mics during deliveries. However, the guidelines - enforced at International Cricket Council's (ICC) 75th annual conference in July 2018 - maintain the need to broadcast the stump mic audio at any time, including when the ball is dead.
Author: William Paul
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Featured photo: AFP / RODGER BOSCH
