Former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has weighed in on the Virat Kohli no-ball controversy that unfolded during the IPL 2024 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Navjot Singh Sidhu Slammed BCCI For Virat Kohli’s Controversial Dismissal
Virat Kohli’s dismissal to a waist-high full toss by KKR pacer Harshit Rana left the RCB batter visibly furious. While Kohli, the RCB team, and his numerous fans believed he was not out because the ball was above waist high when he made contact, the umpires and the broadcaster ruled him out. They argued that Kohli was outside his crease, and if he hadn’t moved, the trajectory of the ball would have caught him below his waist.
While doing commentary, Sidhu had said: “Chhati thok ke kahunga, he was not out. This is against Spirit of Cricket and not good for the game. You bowled beamer and given out, He’s clearly not out”.
Navjot Singh Sidhu says “It’s not out” 👀pic.twitter.com/K2S9tBNRhD
— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) April 21, 2024
Sidhu isn’t convinced with this law and called out the MCC through three hard-hitting points. First, he questioned the law-makers for denying a batter the same relaxation as a bowler regarding the rule of height. Then, he pointed fingers at the MCC for unofficially allowing the use of beamers. Speaking to Star Sports, Sidhu said:
“Friends. Justice means the truth must come out. I am here not just for Virat Kohli but for RCB too. When you’ve made a rule by bringing a 6-inch height-based ideology, did you give the batter a 7-inch allowance?”
“That is number one. Number 2, the biggest point. You legalised a beamer. During my 30 years of playing and watching cricket, if a bowler missed a yorker and bowled a waist-high delivery, the batter would be left bamboozled and the bowler would apologise. If tomorrow a batter steps out and the ball is targetted on his head, won’t you even apologise for legalising a beamer?”
Lastly, Sidhu expressed apprehension about the use of technology, which indicated that the ball would have found Kohli at or below his waist had he not been batting inside the crease. Sidhu urged the decision-makers to take a hard look at the law and reiterated that in this case, the benefit of the doubt should have belonged to Kohli. He said:
“Thirdly, at the point of impact, at the point of impact, the ball is at least a foot and a half above waist. And the batter is six inches outside the crease. Do you mean to say that the ball will dip 6 a foot and a half in the remaining six inches? Benefit of the doubt must go to the batter. Laws always change for the better. Laws are made to better the game. Change is not necessarily progress. This law needs to be carefully monitored, and amended. Kohli should have gotten the benefit of the doubt. He was not out,” he pointed out.
Thank you paaji for uploading this explainer video after Star deleted it, no doubt it was NOT OUT#ViratKohli𓃵 pic.twitter.com/tBGpFx58sB
— Sushant Mehta (@SushantNMehta) April 22, 2024
RCB eventually lost to KKR in a one-run thriller, marking their seventh defeat of the season. This loss keeps them at the bottom of the standings in the points table with just 2 points after 8 matches.
