Who said what - top 5 expert reactions on Virat Kohli's controversial wicket vs KKR ft. Simon Doull
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ace batter Virat Kohli's dismissal of Harshit Rana's bowling in the thrilling encounter against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was one of the biggest talking points in IPL 2024 so far.
Kohli had laid down the early foundation in the mammoth run chase at Eden Gardens, but the Orange Cap holder's brisk start was brought to an abrupt end courtesy of a slow full toss by Harshit Rana. The opening batter was caught off guard by the full toss that appeared to be high.
The umpires took the decision upstairs, where the third umpire consulted technology to make the decision taking the player's height and the ball's expected trajectory till the popping crease into the equation. The ball was found to be dipping enough and Kohli was adjudged out.
The batter was far from pleased with the verdict and spoke his mind multiple times before angrily walking back to the pavilion. Even after KKR's one-run win, Kohli's dismissal was dominating the post-match chatter, with fans and pundits questioning the law in place.
On that note, let us take a look at the top 5 expert reactions on Virat Kohli's controversial wicket vs KKR.
#1 Mohammed Kaif
Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif disagreed with the law and sympathized with Kohli. He also questioned the accuracy of the ball-tracking, which made a huge difference in the final decision.
"My take on Virat Kohli dismissal: It's an unfair call. If the ball is waist high at the time bat meets ball it should ruled as no ball. Also I have always felt that the ball tracking shows a sharper dip," wrote former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif on X, formerly Twitter.
#2 Navjot Singh Sidhu
Much like Kaif, former India batter Navjot Singh Sidhu also sided with Kohli, and called for a change in the current law. He raised three crucial points in his argument that supported the batter.
Firstly, he raised the fact that Kohli was on his toes while playing the delivery, and that difference in height should have been considered.
Secondly, he claimed that the delivery was a beamer, and that should not be legal. Thirdly, once again like Kaif, Sidhu expressed his doubt over ball tracking's prediction of the ball's dip. He claimed that the ball hit quite high on Kohli's bat, and he was not that far off the crease, but the dip shows something entirely different.
"This law needs to be looked at and it needs to be changed. Benefit of doubt should have gone to Kohli. He was not out," said former India player Navjot Singh Sidhu.
#3 Irfan Pathan
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan fully agreed with the decision that was made by the umpires. To make his case, he strongly asserted that the delivery was a slower, loopy delivery that would have resulted in a drastic dip in the final phase of the ball's trajectory as it approached the stumps.
"BCCI has measured the body weight and waist height of each player in IPL 2024, so those data have been used here, so the technology can’t be so wrong and it was clear OUT,” Irfan Pathan said while speaking to Star Sports.
#4 Simon Doull
The former New Zealand cricketer lavished praise on third umpire Michael Gough for not being caught up with the weight of the decision, instead focusing solely on what the rulebook suggests and making the decision accordingly.
"Michael Gough kept his cool, used technology absolutely spot on for the dismissal of Virat Kohli. He did not waver from it, saw the trajectory, it was well below the waist if he was standing in his normal batting position at the crease," Simon Doull said on Cricbuzz.
"I know RCB fans will be all up in arms on social media, but it was out. Gough kept his cool, and delivered the verdict. When Kohli looks back on this, he will understand that the decision was correct. If we trust Hawk-Eye ball tracking for LBW referrals and other things, we have to trust it for this as well," Doull added.
#5 Aakash Chopra
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra admitted that Virat Kohli looked not out initially, but agreed with the technology and the current laws set in place.
"Was Virat Kohli out? The debate is whether it was right or wrong based on the existing laws. Kohli was out according to the current laws. It seemed not out with the naked eye but nothing happens with the naked eye. He was out based on laws and existing technology," he said on his YouTube channel.
Every player's height and the distance from the ground to their waist have been measured. So there is no ambiguity now. There is no gray area. Cricket has some laws. Your height till your head and waist are considered while standing upright at the crease," Chopra continued.
"With the naked eye, it seemed like it was not out but it was a slower one, Kohli was standing outside and the point of impact was even further away. The ball had to travel from there till the crease. Ball trajectory is quite accurate and it showed that it would have been below his waist height if he had been standing at the crease and that's where it stops," Chopra concluded.
RCB are next scheduled to play the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday, April 25.