Kumar Dharmasena, the experienced Sri Lankan umpire, landed in trouble on Thursday after a questionable moment during the ongoing fifth Test between England and India at The Oval. The incident happened in the 13th over of India's first innings when Josh Tongue bowled a sharp, full delivery that struck Sai Sudharsan on the pad as he lost balance and fell.
England made a loud appeal for LBW but Dharmasena turned it down. What caused the real issue was his hand gesture right after the decision. He pointed to suggest the ball had touched the bat. England, thinking there was an inside edge, chose not to take the DRS review.
Replays later showed the ball did hit the bat before striking the pad but the gesture was still seen as a clear mistake. Under DRS rules, umpires should not give any signals like that as it can influence the side’s decision to review or not.
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Kumar Dharmasena’s DRS Blunder Ignites Social Media
As soon as the moment was shown on TV, social media lit up with angry reactions. Many fans felt Dharmasena had gone against rules by giving England a clue.
Several users accused Dharmasena of saving England from using a review. Here are a few reactions from X:
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How the First Session Unfolded?
Before the rain interrupted play, England had the better of the opening session. Ollie Pope, leading the side in Ben Stokes’ absence, won the toss and chose to bowl first under cloudy skies.
Gus Atkinson gave England a perfect start, trapping Yashasvi Jaiswal LBW for just 2. Soon after, KL Rahul chopped one onto his stumps off Chris Woakes, leaving India in early trouble at 38/2.
But Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill steadied the innings. The pair batted sensibly and added 34 runs together in the session. At lunch, India were 72/2 with Sudharsan on 25 and Gill on 15.
Also read: IND vs ENG: 961 days of wait as Abhimanyu Easwaran yet again snubbed in the decider Oval Test
