Fans hail umpires for giving a befitting reply to ‘coward’ Virat Kohli

After the Shreyas Iyer-led KKR posted a healthy 222/6 on the board, RCB’s opening pair of Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis had their work cut out as they needed a blistering start to their run chase and the former did begin in explosive fashion, smacking a boundary and a maximum in the first over of his side’s essay.

The 35-year-old talismanic batter followed it up with another sumptuous six over the long-on boundary off the bowling of Mitchell Starc to advance RCB’s score to 27/0 in only 2 overs.

However, drama unfolded on the maiden delivery of the next over when Harshit Rana produced a high full-toss and took Virat Kohli by surprise. As he was rushed into the shot, the former RCB skipper couldn’t get any timing and the ball ballooned in the air. Subsequently, he was caught and bowled by Harshit Rana and KKR and the home side’s fans erupted in celebrations at the historic venue. 

Yet, to the naked eye, it appeared to be an over-the-waist no ball, and Virat Kohli asked for a review. But his DRS call wasn’t considered as the on-field umpire had himself referred the decision to the third umpire.

English umpire Michael Gough, who was occupying the third umpire’s chair adjudged Virat Kohli out, infuriating the latter to the extent that the Delhi-born cricketer argued with the on-field umpires before leaving the ground. Later, he was clicked hitting his bat on the boundary rope in anger. 

Cricket pundit Harsha Bhogle, who was commentating on the match at the time of the incident, stated, “RCB have been robbed here.”

According to ICC’s rule for over-the-waist deliveries, “Any delivery, which passes or would have passed, without pitching, above waist height of the striker standing upright at the popping crease, is to be deemed to be unfair, whether or not it is likely to inflict physical injury on the striker. If the bowler bowls such a delivery the umpire shall immediately call and signal No ball.” 

The incident caused quite a stir on social media, with Virat Kohli’s former RCB teammate and ex-South Africa captain AB de Villiers, terming the decision as a “grey area in the game.”

“Grey areas in the game open up room for anger and confusion. It’s not a tough fix this. Get the batter’s stance, draw the lines and use ball tracking. No confusion whatsoever,” AB de Villiers said in a post on X. 

Former India opener Navjot Sindhu, known for calling a spade a spade, minced no words in declaring that Virat Kohli was not out.

“Chhati thok ke kahunga not out, rules have been changed, the laws which are in the favour of the game must be upheld. It was a beamer, and whenever a bowler throws a beamer, he usually apologizes and when the impact of the ball occurs with the bat, it is almost 1.5 feet above, so I think the rule should be changed,” Navjot Singh Sidhu said on Star Sports. 

Despite many former cricketers asserting that Virat Kohli was not out, fans on the microblogging site criticized him for his on-field behavior. 

A few compared him with the current Team India captain Rohit Sharma and the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, claiming that they never engaged in a confrontation with the umpires. 

Some even went on to address him as “Chokli” – an acronym negatively associated with Virat Kohli, with his haters alleging that he never scores runs in big-ticket contests.

On the other hand, admirers of Rohit Sharma lauded the umpires for ensuring Virat Kohli’s early departure, otherwise he would have played for “personal milestones.”.

Virat Kohli would have hurt even more as RCB lost in a last-over thriller by the barest of margins. 

With 21 needed to win in the 20th over, Karn Sharma brought the equation down to 3 off 2 balls after smacking Mitchell Starc for three sixes in the first four balls. 

Just when it looked like RCB would run away with their second victory in IPL 2024, Mitchell Starc dismissed Karn Sharma on the fifth delivery before Lockie Ferguson was run out on the next, leaving the South India-based team heartbroken.

After the shattering loss, RCB is now at the bottom of the table, having registered only one win in eight fixtures in the 17th edition of the IPL, nearly ending their hopes of making it to the playoffs.