Former RCB batter and South African legend AB de Villiers has shared his thoughts on the recent Virat Kohli’s controversial dismissal in the IPL 2024. The incident happened in the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday.
During RCB’s pursuit, Harshit Rana bowled a full ball, and Kohli made a straightforward return catch. To determine if the ball was legal, the on-field umpires relayed their decisions upstairs. Technology revealed that Rana’s ball was below the waist height, forcing Kohli to walk back to the pavilion after scoring 18 runs off seven balls.
Rana pitched a slower ball, and the third umpire determined that it was dipping enough for the hitter to be out. After leaving, the 35-year-old Kohli was agitated and had a lengthy argument with the umpires before walking away.
AB de Villiers calls for fixing ‘grey areas’
After RCB was asked to chase down a bog target of 223, Kohli took the attack to Harshit, hitting him for a four and a six in the very first over. In the second over, he smacked Mitchell Starc for a six before getting out in the third over. However, his wicket proved to be a game-changer for RCB, who lost some momentum in the tough chase.
De Villiers, who played alongside Kohli for RCB from 2011 to 2021, also spoke about rules surrounding ‘wides’.
“For goodness sake, PLEASE just clarify the wide ruling in Cricket! Really not so difficult.. We have technology, let’s use it properly. No need for thumb-sucking surely,” AB de Villiers tweeted.
For goodness sake, PLEASE just clarify the wide ruling in Cricket! Really not so difficult.. We have technology, let’s use it properly. No need for thumb-sucking surely
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) April 20, 2024
After the controversial dismissal, De Villiers took to ‘X’ and wrote, “Grey areas in the game open up room for anger and confusion. It’s not a tough fix thisbut . Get the batter’s stance, draw the lines and use ball tracking. No confusion whatsoever.”
Grey areas in the game open up room for anger and confusion. It’s not a tough fix this. Get the batter’s stance, draw the lines and use ball tracking. No confusion whatsoever.
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) April 21, 2024
Virat Kohli was seen in anger and dismay as he watched RCB lose their 6th match in a row, which meant that they were practically knocked out of the tournament. RCB are at the bottom of the points table with 2 points from 8 matches, but 7 losses.