Virat Kohli suggests ‘I don’t know’ option for umpires after catch controversy

Team Udayavani, Mar 19, 2021, 9:39 AM IST

Mumbai: India skipper Virat Kohli on Thursday said on-field umpires should have the option to stay neutral in a TV referral after a debate erupted over a catch by England’s Dawid Malan in the fourth Twenty20 international.

Suryakumar Yadav was given out caught by Malan in the deep after his quickfire 57 that set up India’s series-levelling win in Ahmedabad.

It was not clear whether the low grab by Malan was a clean take but the TV official did uphold the on-field umpire’s ‘soft signal’ of out due to lack of conclusive proof.

“When there’s a half-and-half effort the soft signal becomes more important. I don’t know why there can’t be an ‘I don’t know’ call for the umpires,” Kohli said on the decision after his team’s eight-run win.

“These are decisions that can change the course of the game, especially in these big games. We were on the receiving side today, and tomorrow it could be some other team.

“You want these ironed out and keep the game really simple and linear. It isn’t ideal in high-pressure games and we want a lot of clarity on the field.”

Yadav, who was named man of the match for his 31-ball blitz, said he had no problem’s with the call and he took the decision in his stride.

Indian bowlers stifled England batsmen to 177-8 in their chase of 186 to level the five-match series at 2-2.

But the catch remained the talking point as pundits debated Malan’s effort.

“How can this be out,” cricketer-turned-commentator VVS Laxman wrote on Twitter with a still of Malan taking the catch.

“When you are not sure whether the ball was taken cleanly after watching so many replays using top class technology and still go by the soft signal given by the on-field umpire. I think this rule needs to be revisited and changed.”

Former England captain Michael Vaughan said the catch was clean but the ‘soft signal’ in cricket needs to be looked at.

“I thought Dawid Malan took that catch,” Vaughan said on the Indian website Cricbuzz.

“Once that soft signal had been given out, he (on-field umpire) had to give it out because he did not have enough evidence to prove that he hadn’t caught it. I just don’t like the soft signal in the middle for catches on the boundary.”

The deciding match is on Saturday at the same venue.