The Oval Test: Why umpire Kumar Dharmasena's gesture was an unfair DRS advantage for England

Test cricket goes up a few notches when there is drama or a controversy around. The ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has had plenty of it from the Lord's Test onwards and with the way things ended at Old Trafford, we can expect more of it in the fifth Test. Umpiring decisions have also been talked about, with England allegedly getting a lot of favour with the umpire's call, particularly when they have been bowling as opposed to India. The chatter on the umpiring hasn't been a great deal just yet but it could flare up through the course of this crucial game.

 

Already, there has been an incident on the opening day of The Oval Test, something that the Indian team may not have reacted to at present but it is one that could come at the press conference at the end of the day. The incident happened in the 13th over of the innings, bowled by Josh Tongue with Sai Sudharsan on strike. The tall pacer got one to curve back in sharply, an attempted yorker that came across as a low full toss and Sudharsan lost his balance while trying to keep it out, thereby falling on the pitch. He was struck on the back pad but there seemed a clear inside edge in real time itself.

 

Now, where did Kumar Dharmasena get it wrong? As soon as Tongue appealed half-heartedly for LBW, the Sri Lankan not only shook his head but also gestured bat to England's players, implying that he felt that there was bat involved. One replay was enough to show that Dharmasena was spot on but was he supposed to indicate so? Since the inception of the Decision Review System (DRS), umpires are not supposed to signal leg byes or gesture if it is too high or inside edge when LBW appeals are involved. According to the rules, they are supposed to wait till the 15-second DRS timer runs out, before indicating any or all of the above. In this case, Dharmasena was guilty of indicating bat and his gesture helped England to not ponder over a possible review. Tongue didn't seem too interested anyway but the umpire isn't supposed to help out the bowling side in any way.

 

Dharmasena has been infamous for some dubious umpiring decisions that have inadvertently gone on to favour England, the biggest of them being the 2019 ODI World Cup final at Lord's. This incident is nowhere as significant and it is an error that umpires do make at times. However, in such a tightly-contested series, every review matters just like each run and wicket.

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