IND vs NZ: Rishabh Pant's controversial OUT decision not accepted by pandits, fans

New Zealand made history by whitewashing India on home soil! While the Kiwis celebrated their victory, Indian fans expressed their frustration not only with the team's batting performance but also with the controversial umpire's decision regarding Rishabh Pant. In the third and final Test at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Pant was initially given not out, but after New Zealand's review, the momentum of the game shifted.

Following yet another top-order collapse that saw India lose 5 batters for just 29 runs, Pant mounted a strong counterattack, scoring 64 runs off 57 balls in pursuit of 147. However, he was visibly distraught after being dismissed controversially by Ajaz Patel, sparking a heated debate on social media.

ALSO READ | IND vs NZ: Team India's 'pathetic' batting on Day 3 gets fans angry as they lose 5 wickets within 8 overs

New Zealand appealed for a catch by the wicketkeeper, but the on-field umpire remained unmoved despite strong appeals from Ajaz and close-in fielders. Unconvinced, New Zealand skipper Tom Latham urged Patel to review the decision. Upon review, the snickometer indicated a spike as the ball passed the bat, but Pant's bat also struck his pads simultaneously. Despite the ambiguity, the third umpire ruled in favour of New Zealand.

Soon enough, fans took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to trend "NOT OUT" and even former players like AB de Villiers and Wasim Jaffer weighed in on the controversial dismissal. 

This is a ridiculous decision! It clearly hit the pad first, which messed up the ultra edge. Even Paul Riffel’s third umpiring is absurd, after terrible calls during the on-field umpiring.

This should be NOT OUT, end of story! pic.twitter.com/ZV6mHy3gV2

— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) November 3, 2024

Yaar woh not out tha yaar

Imagine with no conclusive evidence.... Third umpire would have given it a not out

The whole picture could have been different right now 🤐

Bohat bura lag raha hai@riseup_pant17#RishabhPant#INDvNZ

— Shadab Shaikh (@TheDesiBanter) November 3, 2024

AB de Villiers highlighted the "grey area" in DRS technology, questioning the absence of a hotspot in the system. He posted, "Controversy! Little grey area once again. Did Pant get bat on that or not? The problem is when the ball passes the bat at the exact moment a batter hits his pad, snicko will pick up the noise. How sure are we he hit it? I've always worried about this, and it happened at a huge moment in a big Test match. Where's hotspot?!"

"Fact is there must’ve been doubt. Surely you stay with on-field call then? Unless the 3rd Ump clearly saw a deviation? I’m not so sure. And don’t get me wrong, I have no bias here, just pushing for consistent calls and good use of tech".

Fact is there must’ve been doubt. Surely you stay with on-field call then? Unless the 3rd Ump clearly saw a deviation? I’m not so sure.

And don’t get me wrong, I have no bias here, just pushing for consistent calls and good use of tech.

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) November 3, 2024

Jaffer echoed similar sentiments, stating, "I don't think it was conclusive enough to overturn the on-field not out decision. Feel for @RishabhPant17. #INDvNZ."

I don't think it was conclusive enough to overturn on field not out decision. Feel for @RishabhPant17. #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/ciOZq3V0MI

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) November 3, 2024

After the decision, Pant was seen having a brief discussion with the on-field umpire before taking a slow, heavy walk back to the dressing room.

Teams:

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tom Latham(c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell(w), Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel, William ORourke

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj

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