The Controversial Comeback: Ajinkya Rahane’s Unusual Return to the Crease at MCA BKC Ground
CricketPanditAjinkya Rahane was called back to the crease and allowed to continue batting. © Mumbai Cricket Association
There was complete confusion at the MCA BKC Ground in Mumbai on Friday afternoon (January 24) when Ajinkya Rahane was declared out, caught down the leg side by Jammu & Kashmir wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan, only to be brought back in a rather questionable manner.
The Mumbai captain had already made his way to the pavilion, and the next batsman, Shardul Thakur, was on the field when umpires S Ravi and Navdeep Singh Sidhu ruled a delivery from Umar Nazir, the first ball of the 25th over in Mumbai’s second innings, as a no-ball.
Thakur was instructed to wait, and after a few minutes, he was sent back. This sequence of events led to the impression that Mumbai’s No. 8 was being timed out, a sentiment echoed by commentators on live television. However, Rahane soon reappeared on the field, prompting the new batsman to retreat.
The so-called no-ball was never shown on the live broadcast by JioCinema, the official broadcaster of the game. When the television production team at the BKC ground was contacted, they stated they did not have access to the footage, but the third umpire did. Nitin Goel, the third umpire and match referee, explained that the confusion and delay stemmed from a lack of communication.
“When I tried to reach the umpire on the walkie-talkie, he was on a different channel. So it took some time to relay the message to the on-field umpire. Rahane himself appeared on the screen, indicating that he did not hear the umpires asking him to wait. It was a clear no-ball, and there was no doubt about it,” said Goel, a former Haryana batsman. “I will send the relevant footage to the BCCI.”
While the referee is confident that the right decision was made in this instance, the same cannot be said for several other moments during the match. The visiting team is unlikely to give the umpires high marks in their report on the match.Rahane’s second chance didn’t last long – he was out just two overs later, caught spectacularly by Paras Dogra, his counterpart from Jammu & Kashmir, in the covers off the same bowler, Umar Nazir. Once again, the umpires paused the game to review a potential no-ball before confirming Rahane’s dismissal. He was the sixth wicket to fall, and Mumbai, the 42-time defending champions, who had previously given up a lead of 86, found themselves at 91 for 6, struggling to avoid an outright defeat.
