India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, found himself expressing frustration as England made a contentious claim for a catch off Yashasvi Jaiswal during the fourth Test in Ranchi. The incident occurred in the 20th over of India’s innings following England’s dismissal for 353 in the morning session. Jaiswal appeared to have nicked Ollie Robinson’s delivery to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.
However, uncertainty clouded the catch’s legitimacy, leading the on-field umpires to refer the decision to the third umpire. After scrutinizing the replays, the third umpire concluded that the ball had touched the ground before Foakes secured it.
I think he meant half the ball is inside.
— duckcricket (@duckcrickpal) February 25, 2024
England has had a number of umpires calls go their way. Joe Root got unlucky.
Let's not forget Ben Foakes claiming a catch when it pitched before he caught it. #INDvENG #KuldeepYadav #Ashwin #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/ZUZo9gjXpj
Upon the big screen displaying ‘not out’, the English players were taken aback by the decision going against them. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma was caught on camera mocking the catch, wearing a wry smile. Former England batsman Nick Knight empathized with Rohit, elucidating why the Indian skipper was irked by the unfolding of events. Knight highlighted a previous instance where Rohit, despite taking a similar catch of Joe Root, refrained from claiming it outright, opting instead to request a review from the umpire due to uncertainty regarding the catch’s cleanliness.
Shoaib Bashir emerged as a pivotal figure in England’s bowling attack, claiming four wickets to place India at a precarious position of 219-7 at the end of Day 2’s play. Bashir’s marathon spell of 31 overs, spread over three sessions in Ranchi, significantly disrupted India’s response to England’s first-innings total of 353. Despite the onslaught, wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel, on 30, and Kuldeep Yadav, on 17, managed to salvage an unbeaten partnership of 42 runs by the close of play. However, India still trailed the visitors by 134 runs.
The highly performing Yashasvi Jaiswal contributed 73 runs before falling victim to Bashir’s bowling prowess. Attempting to defend a low delivery, Jaiswal’s bat’s toe made contact with the ball, which subsequently crashed into the stumps. Bashir, who missed the series opener due to a visa delay and was featuring in his second Test, received support from fellow spinner Tom Hartley, who contributed with two wickets.
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