The India vs. Bangladesh match in the World Cup 2023 was already decided, with India poised for victory. However, the last 15 minutes of the game witnessed unexpected and, to some extent, unnecessary drama. Virat Kohli’s quest for a century, his denial of singles, and the umpire’s decision not to call a wide all created a buzz.
Virat Kohli’s pursuit of a century took an intriguing turn. Needing just a couple of runs to reach his hundred, Kohli decided to deny as many as three singles to maintain the strike. He went on to keep the strike for 19 consecutive deliveries in a bid to reach his century.
The century quest culminated with a six, but the drama was far from over. Just a couple of deliveries before that six, Bangladesh left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed bowled a ball down the leg side. Kohli was on 97, and India needed two runs to win. On-field umpire Richard Kettleborough chose not to declare it a wide, causing a stir.
The question on everyone’s mind was whether Nasum Ahmed intentionally attempted to bowl a wide to deny Kohli his century.
India opener Shubman Gill addressed the issue in the post-match press conference. He expressed uncertainty about whether Nasum deliberately tried to bowl a wide. Gill’s response added to the intrigue surrounding the incident.
“Surprised with what? The decision or the attempt? I don’t know if he intentionally tried to bowl wide or he was just trying to keep it tight and then went away,” he said.
Cameras captured reactions from both sides. In the Indian dressing room, there was laughter and amusement, suggesting a lighter perspective on the incident. On the other hand, Bangladesh batter Najmul Hossain Shanto, leading the side in place of the injured Shakib Al Hasan, reiterated that there was no plan to intentionally bowl a wide ball.
“No, no. There was no such plan. It was a normal plan. No bowler had the intention to bowl a wide ball. We tried to play a proper game,” he said.
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The controversy around umpire Kettleborough’s decision can be attributed to changes in the laws of cricket. In the past, a wide was determined solely by the batter’s final position at the time of the bowler’s release. However, recent law changes consider all the batter’s movements leading up to the ball’s release.
Kohli did shift slightly towards the stumps before Nasum delivered the ball. Umpire Kettleborough likely thought that Kohli’s movement was significant enough to deny the wide call. The debate here is whether Kohli’s movement would have made contact with the ball if he hadn’t moved inside.
The decision becomes a marginal call, taking into account the new laws. Some might argue that it would still have been a wide had Kohli remained in his original position. Despite the rule changes, there remains some doubt regarding Kettleborough’s decision.
