Renowned for his street-smart tactics in the shortest format of the game, seasoned all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin grabbed attention with his unconventional decision-making during an action-packed encounter in 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 premier league.
In the low-scoring match, Ashwin displayed visible frustration when Ba11sy Trichy’s R Rajkumar successfully challenged umpire K Srinivasan’s on-field decision during the 13th over. Initially, Rajkumar was given out caught behind by umpire Srinivasan. However, upon reviewing the replays, the third umpire overruled the on-field decision, determining that the bat had touched the ground before making contact with the ball.
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The third umpire was convinced that a clear spike was visible on UltraEdge before the ball hit the bat. Consequently, the Ba11sy Trichy player was deemed not out. Shortly after Rajkumar’s decision was reversed, Ashwin opted to review the DRS verdict for the same delivery.
The on-field umpires repeated the process, and the TV umpire ruled Rajkumar not out for the second time. This bizarre moment soon became the hot topic of discussion on the internet. Regarding the match itself, Ashwin’s Dragons emerged victorious against Ba11sy Trichy by 6 wickets in match No.4 of the TNPL held in Coimbatore.
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Ganga Sridhar Raju played a captain’s innings to guide his team to a modest total of 120 in the 20-over game. In response, Ashwin and his teammates chased down the target in 14.5 overs, securing a comfortable win. Indian spinner Varun Chakaravarthy was honored as the Player of the Match.
Uno Reverse card in real life! Ashwin reviews a review 🤐
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.#TNPLonFanCode pic.twitter.com/CkC8FOxKd9— FanCode (@FanCode) June 14, 2023
Only an Ashwin would come back from a World Test Championship, where his preparation was quite detailed, and turn out straightaway for Dindigul Dragons.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 14, 2023
Gotta admire the third-umpire’s diligence and also, patience to go through the same protocol twice…in almost exactly the same manner. Two DRS reviews on the same ball (one by the batter—one by the bowler) for the same mode of dismissal…one keeps the review, one loses the…
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) June 14, 2023
Batsman was given out but he (Rajkumar) reviews and 3rd umpire gives him not out.
Ashwin reviews the third umpire’s decision 😂
— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) June 14, 2023
Bids for Dindigul 🤝 Picks wickets for Dindigul! 🔥💗pic.twitter.com/OJ8xbrVBQy
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) June 14, 2023
Following the match, the seasoned Indian all-rounder shared his thoughts on the perplexing incident in the TNPL 2023. Ashwin stated, “Looking at the big screen, I felt [it was out]. DRS is a new rule in this competition. The spike [on UltraEdge] generally appears ahead of the bat, even if there is an edge. And to overturn the on-field call, there has to be conclusive evidence. I was slightly unhappy that they overturned it. So, I reviewed it, hoping they [umpires] might consider it from a different angle,” expressed R Ashwin during the post-match presentation.
