Social media divided over Joe Root's dismissal after Rahul may or may not have grounded the catch
The third match of the England-India Specsavers Test series is going on at Trent Bridge, and for the first time in the series, the visitors have managed to keep a solid stranglehold over England, who were bundled out for 161 in reply to India's 329 runs in the first innings.
Hardik Pandya is having the time of life out there on the pitch, picking up his maiden five-wicket haul (5 for 28 in 6 overs) in Test matches, as vital contributions from Ishant and Shami added to the damage done to the English. All this was after England were at 54 for no loss, after which they have lost all their wickets for 107 more runs.
A vital point in England's downfall was definitely the dismissal of England captain Joe Root. It was Hardik Pandya's first ball in the game, and the hosts were trying to stage a fightback, at 86 for 3 in 30 overs until then, when the drinks' break ensued.
Just after the break, captain Kohli called Pandya in as a bowling change, and what a remarkable decision it turned out to be, in the first ball itself! Pandya delivered an outswinger which just kissed the jutting edge of Root's bat, and the ball flew to second slip, where KL Rahul was perched down.
Though he claimed it immediately, Root showed signs of doubt. The Indian players had already started celebrating, and with the soft signal being "out", umpire Aleem Dar seemed to want nothing else to inspire him, as he raised his finger.
More replays ensued, courtesy of Root's doubt - which probably increased with each replay being shown. While some angles showed Rahul's fingers underneath the ball, some others showed that it could have just bounced.
With a definite outcome not coming from the replays, the umpire stuck with his decision and Joe Root walked, in tune with loud boos from the audience - who were probably displeased with the umpire's judgment, while a small section roared, and that were probably the Indian fans.
The social media also has been sharing mixed reactions on Root's dismissal. For instance, look at the Twitter poll below:
While the poll results are in favour of India, tweets which favoured the distressed England batsman also followed:
In case you are wondering where to watch the entire episode, check the video in the link below: