Renowned for his street-smart exploits in the shortest form of the game, experienced all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin grabbed attention with his audacious decision-making during an exhilarating edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) on Wednesday.
Ashwin, who was considered surplus to requirements in the final of the ICC World Test Championship against Australia, made a comeback to competitive cricket as the captain of the Dindigul Dragons in Tamil Nadu’s prestigious league.
Also Read: Teams and Their Owner in TNPL 2023
Leading the Dindigul Dragons in a low-scoring encounter, Ravichandran Ashwin displayed visible frustration when Ba11sy Trichy’s R Rajkumar successfully challenged umpire K Srinivasan’s on-field decision during the 13th over. Initially, Srinivasan had given Rajkumar out caught-behind.
Uno Reverse card in real life! Ashwin reviews a review 🤐
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.#TNPLonFanCode pic.twitter.com/CkC8FOxKd9— FanCode (@FanCode) June 14, 2023
However, the third umpire overturned the decision based on replays that indicated the bat had made contact with the ground before touching the ball.
The third umpire was convinced by the clear spike shown on UltraEdge before the ball made contact with the bat. Consequently, the Ba11sy Trichy star was declared not out. Shortly after Rajkumar reversed the decision, Ashwin opted to review the DRS (Decision Review System) verdict on the same delivery.
The on-field umpires followed the same procedure, ultimately confirming Rajkumar as not out for the second time after the TV umpire’s ruling. This peculiar moment soon became a hot topic on the internet.
Regarding the match itself, Ashwin’s Dragons triumphed over Ba11sy Trichy by six wickets in Match No. 4 of the TNPL at Coimbatore. Ganga Sridhar Raju played a captain’s innings, leading his team to a modest total of 120 runs in the 20-over game. In response, Ashwin and his teammates successfully chased down the target in 14.5 overs, securing a comfortable victory. Indian spinner Varun Chakaravarthy was honored as the Player of the Match.
What did Ravichandran Ashwin say about the event?
“Looking at the big screen, I felt [it was out]. DRS is a new rule in this competition. The spike [on UltraEdge] generally comes ahead of the bat, even if there is an edge. And to overturn the on field call, there has to be conclusive evidence. That they overturned it, I was slightly not happy. So, I reviewed it, hoping they [umpires] might look at it from a different angle.” – Ashwin said.
