India skipper Rohit Sharma has opened up on the controversial Rishabh Pant dismissal in the second innings of the third and final Test between India and New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. (Match Blog | Scorecard |More Cricket News)
Rohit revealed his surprise and said that the decision was something that the umpires needed to give it a proper thought going ahead in the game.
Pant was well-set and brought India back into the game, scoring a brilliant 64 from just 57 deliveries on a surface that was slightly misbehaving.
The special knock came when half of India’s batting order did not come to the Wankhede party as the hosts were reduced to 29 for the loss of five wickets at one point.
The 27-year-old was given out after New Zealand opted to challenge the on-field decision, but the Indian wicketkeeper-batter was spotted explaining to the umpires that he had not hit the ball, and it was the pad in contact with bat.
After the on-field decision was not-out, the third umpire overturned the call, and India eventually were bundled out for just 121, losing 0-3 to New Zealand.
Speaking about the dismissal, Rohit was in disbelief and said that if there was no conclusive evidence, then the decision should have not been overturned.
He also said that the umpires need to reflect on the matter and also claimed that everyone should have the same rules.
"About the dismissal, honestly, I don't know. If we say something, it's not accepted well. But if there is no conclusive evidence, it has to stand with the on-field decision. That's what I have been told. I don't know how that decision was overturned, since the umpire didn't give him out," Rohit said in a post match press conference.
"The bat was close to the pads, again I don't know if it is the right thing for me to talk about. It is something for the umpires to think about. Have the same rules for every team and not keep changing their mind," added Rohit.
New Zealand, eventually beat India by 25 runs and won the Mumbai Test, as well as the series 3-0
