Mayank Agarwal was run out in strange circumstances on Day 1 of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. More than Mayank Agarwal’s mix-up with captain Rohit Sharma, it was Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella’s antics that added to the confusion of the events.
Instead of taking the bails off at the first opportunity when the opener Mayank Agarwal was miles away from the crease, Niroshan Dickwella insisted on taking a review. It was after he had made the ‘T’ gesture that he took the bails off to run Mayank Agarwal out.
Mayank Agarwal Was Run Out In Bizzare Circumstances As Niroshan Dickwella Insisted On Taking A Review Before Removing Bails Surprising Sunil Gavaskar
Reacting to the turn of events, former India cricketer and reputed commentator Sunil Gavaskar said Niroshan Dickwella’s insistence on taking a review was “beyond understanding”. It all transpired in the second over of the morning session when Sri Lanka pacer Vishwa Fernando deceived Mayank Agarwal with an in-dipper.
The Sri Lankan players went up in a vociferous appeal but umpire Anil Chaudhary shook his head. In between all this, Mayank Agarwal took off for a single but Rohit Sharma at the other end was late to respond and by the time he sent Mayank Agarwal back, it was too late.
“Why Dickwella was asking for a review before removing the bails is beyond understanding,” Gavaskar said on commentary.
“The reason for this (the confusion between Mayank and Rohit) is Sri Lanka’s unusual field placement,” said former Sri Lanka cricketer Russell Arnold.
“Russell makes a valid point. The striker may not have seen the point fielder sneaking in,” replied Harsha Bhogle.
Sri Lanka had stationed Praveen Jayawickrama at a backward point, which was deeper than usual. The commentators believed Mayank Agarwal might have thought that he had beaten the in-field and could take a single but Praveen Jayawickrama sauntered in and threw the ball back to Niroshan Dickwella, who completed the easy run-out but not before signalling for a review.
Mayank Agarwal, meanwhile, waited a couple of seconds before calling for a run. Rohit Sharma at the other end wasn’t interested, but the new Punjab Kings skipper strolled down the pitch anyway.
Praveen Jayawickrama got to the ball from point and threw it to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella, who, for some reason, didn’t take the bails off immediately. Niroshan Dickwella peculiarly urged his captain for a review first and only then dislodged bails. Mayank Agarwal was still way out of his crease and started to walk back dejectedly. He was run-out on 4 off seven deliveries in a rather dismal way.
As it turned out, the third umpire informed umpire Anil Chaudhary that Vishwa Fernando had overstepped, which took the review for LBW out of the equation but since according to the rules, a batter can be run out off a no-ball, Mayank Agarwal had to take the long walk back to the dressing room for 4.
Shreyas Iyer’s 92 Puts India In Driver’s Seat As Sri Lanka Are Reeling At 86/6 At Stumps On Day 1
Batting first, India rode on a stunning 92-run knock off just 98 balls from Shreyas Iyer to get to 252 on a pitch that was offering a lot of turn for the spinners. In reply, Indian seamers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami made the new ball talk and ran through Sri Lanka’s top order.
Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets, Mohammed Shami had two while Axar Patel chipped in with one as Sri Lanka found themselves in heaps of trouble at 86 for six at stumps on Day 1.