The manner in which Royal Challengers Bangalore superstar Virat Kohli found himself dismissed has sparked a heated debate on social media and the cricketing fraternity. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Harshit Rana bowled a full toss and Kohli pitched it just above his waist height and eventually caught the ball at In the hands of the bowler. However, the umpire ruled Kohli out. The RCB star decided to re-examine the matter, but even so, it was in the favor of the bowling unit. While all the decisions at the time were against RCB, not everyone was convinced that Virat should be sacked.

While many blamed the umpire for Kohli’s dismissal, one must first understand that the decision was purely from a technical point of view as the RCB batsman decided to review the dismissal.

Why was Virat Kohli dropped?

First, it must be understood that a no-ball above waist height is given only when the ball reaches the batsman, at the pop-up crease, above waist height. However, that was not the case with Virat.

After assessment, the third umpire deemed Harshit Rana’s delivery fair as Kohli stood outside his crease. Even the impact force between the ball and the bat is quite ahead of the body.

Virat Kohli’s waist circumference is 1.04 meters as measured using the upright posture technique. However, technical assessment revealed that if Kohli had stayed inside the crease, the ball would have reached him at a height of 0.92 metres. Therefore, this delivery cannot be called a no-ball.

According to the third umpire, Virat Kohli was outside his crease.

– Do you think this was a fair pass or a no ball? pic.twitter.com/GkESFX73Nj

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 21, 2024

What does the rulebook say?

As per ICC Rules Rule 41.7 “Dangerous and Unfair Non-Pursing Delivery”: Any delivery delivered without a delivery or delivered beyond the waist height of the batsman standing upright at the pop-up crease will be deemed It is unfair regardless of the possibility of physical harm being done to the striker. If the bowler delivers such a delivery, the umpire shall immediately announce and signal “no ball”.

So, the rule cannot save Kohli in this particular situation.

argument

The debate intensified with those supporting RCB and Kohli arguing that the impact of the ball was significantly higher than waist height. Therefore, Virat could not bat easily. Just because he steps out of the crease a little, the dangerous nature of the bowler’s beam doesn’t disappear. If Kohli failed to keep his bat between the ball and his body, he would have been hit.

“Obviously, rules are rules,” RCB captain Faf du Plessis said after the match. “Virat and I thought the ball was probably higher than his waist. I guess they measured it based on the crease that popped up.”

“In situations like this, there’s always one team that’s happy and another team that feels like it wasn’t the right decision. But that’s how the game works.”

So if the rule of measuring the height of a ball from where it pops into the crease is correct, then the argument remains.