Virat Kohli and his blinder catch controversy, GL vs RCB IPL 2016 Qualifier

Virat Kohli took a magnificent catch yesterday, but his demeanour following the act led to confusion

Given the current manner in which RCB is headed, Virat Kohli’s blinder catch may have been a make-it-or-break-it moment for his team. It ended up having a huge impact on Kohli’s image, which we can be sure of.

The entire controversy is nothing but unnecessary confusion; a confusion between Virat Kohli and the umpires at the first IPL 2016 Qualifier between the teams Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Lions. It all happened at the 19th over when Shane Watson was bowling to Eklavya Dwivedi. After Dwivedi had hit a couple of sixes in the previous two balls, being overly optimistic, he went in for a repeat performance of his preceding two balls, which, however, did not happen according to his plans.

To foil the attempt at a six by Dwivedi, Kohli ran in and dived to take a blinder of a catch. He then slammed the ball on the ground in a display of aggression and stormed off to the ropes for a quick drink. Looking at Kohli marching off, the umpires assumed that he hadn’t caught the ball clearly. Mid-drink, Kohli stopped, much to his chagrin, when he saw Dwivedi back at his crease.

Kohli immediately rushed up to the umpires and demanded an explanation as to why the batsman hadn’t left the field. On hearing what the Umpires had to say about the ambiguity of his catch, he clarified that he had actually caught the ball in time, but the catch seemed to be too obvious and easy for him to lay his claim to it.

Perplexed, the on-field umpires asked the third umpire to check for Kohli’s claim after some deliberation. After watching the replays, it was ruled that the catch indeed was clean and hence, the batsman was given out. It was a crucial wicket for RCB that eventually prevented Gujarat from posting 160 runs.

Earlier, a similar incident had occurred with South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs, where he had caught the ball in the nick of time, but unfortunately for him the ball slipped from his fingers when he threw it up in celebration.

It was Virat Kohli's conviction of him being right, which helped his team lay claim to a wicket which was almost not to be. Although he got out on a duck, Kohli managed to lead his team towards a victorious match, ensuring that all his bowlers shined in the course of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Gujarat ended the game with 158 runs, paving the way for an easy win for the Bangalore team. With Bangalore huffing and puffing their way to the modest target, the catch proved to a difference of a few crucial runs and probably even the game at the end of it all.