A massive controversy erupted on Day 1 of the ongoing fifth and final Test between India and England at The Oval, as the on-field umpire Kumar Dharmasena was accused of saving the hosts from a major DRS embarrassment in the 13th over of the first innings.
It all unfolded on the second ball of the 13th over, when England pacer Josh Tongue bowled a fierce inswinging low full toss to young Indian batter Sai Sudharsan. The delivery was so quick and sharp that Sudharsan was knocked off his feet, collapsing to the ground, as the ball crashed into his pads.
Kumar Dharmasena accused of saving England from DRS disaster at The Oval
England immediately went up in a loud appeal for LBW. But in a surprising moment, Kumar Dharmasena quickly turned down the appeal and clearly signalled that the ball had taken an inside edge. Replays showed there was a faint touch off the bat, but it was shocking how fast and confidently the umpire made the call, almost as if he didn’t want England to waste a review.
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Following the incident, the Indian cricket fans accused Dharmasena of favoring the England cricket team, with many calling it “blatant cheating.” Had Dharmasena not intervened so quickly, England might have reviewed the decision, only to lose their review on what was indeed an inside edge.
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England hands twin early blows to India at The Oval
Meanwhile, the Indian cricket team had a poor start after being invited to bat first by the stand-in England captain Ollie Pope at The Oval. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s poor run continued as he was dismissed for just 2 runs off 9 balls by Atkinson in the fourth over on Day 1.
It was a delivery that came in sharply, hitting him on the pads. The umpire didn’t give it out at first, possibly confused by the two sounds—one from the front pad and the other from the back pad. But England took a review, and Hawkeye showed the ball hitting the stumps, with all three reds confirming the Indian opener was lbw out.
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And then in the 16th over, KL Rahul’s innings came to a disappointing end just when he looked set after facing 40 balls for just 14 runs. It was a back-of-length ball from Chris Woakes that moved in off the pitch and bounced a bit extra. Rahul went for a cut shot, but the ball was too close to his body. He couldn’t control it and ended up dragging it back onto his stumps.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul’s England show
Notably, Yashasvi Jaiswal has had a mixed Test series so far. He began on a high note, scoring a brilliant century, and came close to another big one with a solid 87. Currently, the opener has 293 runs at an average of 36 to his name so far in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
On the other hand, KL Rahul has been sensational so far in the five-match Test series. He is currently the second leading run scorer on the England tour with over 520 runs at an average of over 58.
