Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to KL Rahul's controversial dismissal on Day 1 of 1st BGT 2024-25 Test ft. Sanjay Manjrekar
The much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 began on Friday, November 22, in Perth. India chose to bat first but was dismissed for 150, with debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy (41), Rishabh Pant (37), and KL Rahul (26) making solid contributions. However, it was the controversial moment involving Rahul's dismissal that stole the limelight.
Mitchell Starc delivered a good-length ball on the second ball of the 23rd over, which KL Rahul defended. The ball passed very close to the bat and was caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Despite the appeal, the on-field umpire ruled it not out. Australian captain Pat Cummins then called for a review, sparking a chain of controversy.
The third umpire was provided with two camera angles—one from behind the stumps and another from the leg side. The UltraEdge (Snicko) revealed a spike as the ball approached the bat, but it remained unclear whether the spike was due to the ball brushing the bat or the bat striking the pad.
With no additional angles for clarity, the on-field decision was overturned, dismissing Rahul. The lack of clear evidence led to widespread criticism.
Rahul, visibly frustrated, walked off after scoring 26 runs from 74 balls. Since then, several cricket experts have shared their views on the controversial dismissal. On that note, in this article, we take a look at the top five expert reactions to KL Rahul's controversial dismissal on Day 1 of the 1st BGT 2025 Test.
#1 Ravi Shastri
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, while commentating on Fox Cricket, remarked that there was insufficient evidence for the third umpire to overturn the on-field umpire’s not-out decision. He stated:
“My initial reaction was, was there enough evidence there for the third umpire to overrule what was given. It was not out on the field of play. Did I see enough there for me to be convinced? I didn’t see enough, to be honest.”
#2 Michael Hussey
Former Australia player and commentator Michael Hussey also described the decision as controversial. He noted that it was unclear whether the ball hit the bat or if the bat struck the pads. While commenting on Fox Cricket, he said:
“That’s controversial. There was a spike on the Snicko, but was the spike coming from the ball hitting the bat, or was it the bat hitting his pad? You can see the bat just clipping the pad, so you’ve just got to get the timing right … there’s got to be some doubt there in my mind."
"I don't think you can be 100 per cent sure that the decision is correct. The disappointing thing is the technology's there to make sure you get the correct," he continued.
#3 Murali Karthik
Former Indian cricketer Murali Karthik also questioned the decision, calling it "surprising." The 48-year-old raised concerns about the lack of available camera angles for KL Rahul's dismissal. He shared his thoughts in a post on X:
“Am still trying to figure this...the claim was we have million cameras when the test match started & just when u need the other cameras they are conveniently unavailable for KL's decision..it was such a big spike for maybe a feather if there was any... surprising.”
#4 Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra also expressed his surprise, questioning why a front-on angle was unavailable during the review. He criticized the decision, stating that there was no clear evidence to justify overturning the original call, describing it as "ridiculous."
“Front on angle not available at the time of interception??? On-field umpire’s decision not-out. Was there conclusive evidence to overturn the decision? Bat hit the pad for sure…visible confirmation…then why not two spikes on the Ultra-Edge? Ridiculous umpiring from the box,” Akash Chopra said in an X post.
#5 Sanjay Manjrekar
Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar also shared his opinion, stating that it was a "poor use of technology" and that the TV umpire should not have asked the on-field umpire to overturn the decision if the evidence was inconclusive.
Speaking on Star Sports, the 59-year-old said:
“First of all, disappointed with what was provided to the TV umpire. He should have got more evidence. Based on just a couple of angles, I don't think such an important decision in the match should have been made. My point is, with the naked eye there's only one certainty and that's the pad being hit by the bat.”
“So ideally, if there was bat, as an edge to the ball, there should have been an earlier spike because clearly two events there, and the umpire obviously heard one noise. The visual certainty was bat hitting the pad. If that was the spike, then there wasn't an outside edge. If we were shown two spikes, then you could say the first one was the bat. So it was a poor supply of technology to TV umpire, and he should have said he can't nail it,” he added.
Meanwhile, KL Rahul surpassed 3,000 Test runs, reaching a total of 3,007 runs in 54 matches. The 32-year-old has an average of 33.79, with 15 fifties and eight centuries to his name.