Rohit Sharma Questions Controversial Rishabh Pant Dismissal in Mumbai Test

India's captain, Rohit Sharma, has voiced his concerns regarding the contentious dismissal of Rishabh Pant during the fourth innings of the third Test against New Zealand, a decision that many believe was pivotal in the match. Pant, who scored a quick-fire 64 runs off 57 balls, was given out caught bat-pad after New Zealand opted for a DRS review. Before Pant’s dismissal, India was positioned at 106 for 6, chasing a target of 147 runs, only 41 runs away from victory. Ultimately, India fell short, losing the match by 25 runs.

Following the match, Rohit expressed uncertainty about the correctness of the decision, emphasizing the importance of conclusive evidence when overturning an on-field umpire's call. "About that dismissal, I honestly, I don't know," he stated. "If we say something, it is not accepted well. But if there is not conclusive evidence, it has to stand with the umpire's on-field decision. That is what I have been told. So I don't know how that decision was overturned, since the umpire didn't give him out."

Rohit highlighted that the bat appeared to be "clearly close to the pad," raising questions about the basis of the review. He urged for consistent application of rules across all teams and suggested that the umpires should reconsider how such decisions are handled. "Have the same rules for every team, not keep changing their mind," he added.

Earlier in the day, New Zealand had missed an opportunity to review a potential lbw dismissal against Pant when he was on 59, with replays indicating three reds. Later, during the 22nd over, Ajaz Patel made two unsuccessful appeals against Pant. The first was for a catch at slip, which the on-field umpire deemed not out, a decision upheld by DRS.

The controversial dismissal occurred when Ajaz Patel, after observing Pant advance down the pitch, adjusted his length and induced a defensive prod. The ball deflected off Pant and into the wicketkeeper's gloves, prompting an appeal for caught bat-pad. Umpire Richard Illingworth did not initially see enough evidence to give Pant out, but New Zealand captain Tom Latham opted to review the decision.

UltraEdge indicated a spike when the ball appeared to pass the bat, but with the bat and pad in close proximity, it raised doubts whether the spike was due to bat hitting pad instead of ball hitting bat. When the replays were shown on the big screen, the New Zealand team celebrated, while Pant, who had seemed unfazed until that moment, walked over to the on-field officials in disbelief.

Latham explained New Zealand's thought process behind the review: "A few of us heard two noises, and I guess when you review in that situation, you leave it up to the umpire's hands. We can't necessarily see the footage that the third umpire gets, so that's certainly out of our control in terms of what that may look like. We obviously heard a couple of noises and decided to take the review, and obviously, it fell on the right side for us."

The dismissal had significant implications for India, who had already been reduced to 29 for 5 by New Zealand's bowlers on a pitch that heavily favored spin. Rohit noted the impact of Pant's wicket, saying, "That dismissal actually was very, very crucial from our point of view. Rishabh was really looking good at that point. And it felt like he would take us through. But it was an unfortunate dismissal, and then we were bowled out right after that."