Rishabh Pant was involved in another controversy with the DRS during Delhi Capitals’ game with Lucknow Super Giants today (April 12), following which he was seen in a long chat with the on-field umpire.
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Pant, the skipper of Delhi Capitals, who was not allowed to take the DRS of Sunil Narine last week after the umpires seemingly suggested he had run out of time, was caught in another dramatic moment with the DRS against Lucknow.
The incident occurred during the fourth ball of the fourth over, sent down by Ishant Sharma to Devdutt Padikkal, which was given a wide down the leg-side. The umpire immediately signalled it a wide. A few moments later, Pant made a ‘T’ sign, suggesting he wanted to review, and the umpire went upstairs soon after.
Also Read: Was Rishabh Pant wrongly denied a crucial review against Sunil Narine?
The TV umpire confirmed it was a wide and so, Delhi lost their review, much to the displeasure of Pant, who immediately walked up to him and suggested he was not keen on reviewing. The conversation, however, left the commentators confused about what transpired.
At first, they hinted that Pant had not looked at the umpire while taking the review but was instead asking his teammates whether he should go upstairs but this particular clause is not mentioned in the IPL Playing Conditions as a prerequisite to take a review. Clause 3.2.1 under ‘The manner of requesting the Player Review’ states that a request for a review will be made by the captain making a ‘T’ sign with both forearms, which is exactly what Pant did. While captains are permitted to consult with the fielders and the bowler before taking a review, no law mentions where the skipper should be looking while making the signal.
In another visual, Pant is holding his hands up to his ears while talking to the umpire, suggesting he was asking one of his fielders whether he should go for the review as it was too loud.
The commentators also doubted that Pant could have been reviewing for the umpire to check a nick instead of a wide. The delivery was close to Padikkal’s gloves while it passed him, but the third umpire did not take the UltraEdge and just reviewed for the wide, which led to a lengthy discussion.