Vidarbha seamer Shrikant Wagh slams the quality of umpiring in the Ranji Trophy
In the tussle between Karnataka and Vidarbha in Bangalore, left-arm pacer Shrikant Wagh has criticized the performance of the umpires and believed that several incorrect decisions could hurt his team’s chances.
ESPNCricinfo reported the 27-year old lashing out at the Karnataka players for claiming bump catches and exerting pressure on the umpires. Wagh argued that poor umpiring was the primary reason behind Vidarbha conceding the first-innings lead against the defending champions.
The Vidarbha bowler’s reaction comes at a time when the reputation of various Indian umpires are under the scanner. Earlier, Vineet Kulkarni’s umpiring lapses had played a major role in the ongoing contests between India and South Africa.
An irate Wagh said, “The first three wickets were not out. We got the video footage. Ganesh Satish was nowhere near the ball and those two catches taken by CM Gautam were taken one bounce. So that's the main difference. You can say end of the day that's 40 runs short.”
Such allegations coming from frustration: Gautam
Openly expressing his frustration on the opposition team, he stated, “I am very disappointed by CM Gautam. Champion side, you never expect them to do it. We are in shock. One bounce, Gautam should say not out.”
Asserting that the standard of umpiring was abominable, Wagh implied, “You can see from outside even in the second innings that Robin Uthappa was plumb. But, the umpires were not sure. Umpiring standard was poor, very poor and that has cost us. Umpires are confused and doubtful. Leg before, hardly you can see them giving any. I think one or two in the match. I can say umpires favoured their side more rather than being mutual to both sides.”
An aggrieved Wagh conceded, “Hamaara apne kuch toh nahi hai (There isn't a lot in our hands). End of the day match, referee has power to do things. The captain knows the rules as to how much we can appeal and what we can include in the report. We will do our best.”
Dismissing Wagh’s allegations as baseless, Karnataka wicket-keeper CM Gautam defended the umpiring duo of Virender Sharma and Paschim Pathak. He affirmed, “I felt it was out. That's the reason I went up. The umpires, they consulted each other and took a decision because they are in the right position to see what's happening. I think this is coming out of frustration. They lost the lead. It has not been an easy game for them. I thought we bowled really well today. They couldn't take that, I think.”