IPL 10: Rahane defends Rohit over wide controversy

Tags: Indian Premier League 2017, 28th Match - Mumbai Indians Vs Rising Pune Supergiants,at Mumbai Apr 24, 2017, Mumbai Indians, Rising Pune Supergiants

Published on: Apr 25, 2017

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Rising Pune Supergiant overcame Mumbai Indians in a tense clash as Rohit Sharma's half-century went in vain

Rising Pune Supergiant overcame Mumbai Indians in a tense clash as Rohit Sharma's half-century went in vain
Mumbai needed 17 off the last over bowled by Jaidev Unadkat. Rohit smashed the second ball for six, but shuffled a long way across offstump as Unadkat sent in a slower ball outside off. It wasn’t given a wide, and the pressure grew.
Mumbai eventually fell short. Asked about Unadkat bowling the final over, Ajinkya Rahane told Cricbuzz, "Yeah, I think after the 19th over when Smith, Mahi bhai and I were discussing, we talked about bowling Shardul or Jaydev. But we opted to bowl Jaydev because Shardul has a lot of pace, and we wanted to take the pace off and not give the batsmen any in the last over. JD's pace comparatively is slower than Shardul and his slower ball could've been more effective as the wicket was slow. We didn't want to give them any pace because Rohit was already set."
On the wide ball controversy, he added, "I think it was the right call. As a batsman, when you move, that area goes to the bowler. Rohit's behaviour at that point was natural. As a captain, as a player, when the game is so close, it comes automatically, nobody thinks these things through and then do them. I don't think it was wrong on his part. It happens on the field and remains on the field. It is part and parcel of the game. In this format, in close games, this will happen in the future as well. You should respect the umpire's decision as well as what Rohit did. It was natural."
Harbhajan Singh defending skipper Rohit was quoted as saying in the report "I mean ball toh kaafi bahar tha (the ball was well outside), to be honest," he said. "I don't really know if it was actually a wide ball or not. If both the legs move, then the bowler should get the margin. If only one leg moves, like it had happened, then I feel it is a wide. In the end, you have to go with the umpire's decision.
“He (Rohit) wanted to check what is actually the rule then, so that where he needs to stand. He didn't shout at the umpire or ask why it wasn't given a wide. He just wanted to know where he should stand for the wide to be called and he was told that the amount he moves is the amount of margin the bowler gets. "
--By A Cricket Correspondent

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