Replays only confirmed that the on-field umpire's decision was the correct one.
India pacer Mohammed Siraj, who came out to bat as the nightwatchman near the end of Day 1’s play in the ongoing IND vs NZ 3rd Test, had a brain fade moment where he took an unnecessary DRS and wasted an Indian review.
After the Indian bowlers bundled out the Kiwis for 235, the hosts suffered an early setback losing skipper Rohit Sharma for just 18 runs in the seventh over. While it was expected that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill would close the batting at stumps, Jaiswal fell victim to an audacious reverse sweep with Ajaz Patel’s delivery hitting the wood.
This was when Siraj had walked out to bat instead of regular No.4 Virat Kohli, with the scoreboard reading 78 for 2 and a couple more overs left. However, the Indian pacer fell victim on the very next ball, with the Kiwi spinner trapping him lbw.
Despite it looking like a plumb, Siraj chose to go upstairs without much resistance from Shubman Gill, who was at the non-striker’s end and had a clear view of the delivery. Replays only confirmed that the on-field umpire’s decision was the correct one.
Following the incident, Indian fans took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and questioned Siraj’s bizarre call.
Check some of the best reactions below.
The Indian team has already lost the series, trailing 2-0, and will be striving for a victory in Mumbai to prevent a clean sweep.
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A win will really help Rohit Sharma and Co gain some morale before they travel to Australia for the marquee five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy, slated to be played in November-December.
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