Ranji Trophy: Maharashtra skipper protests bump-ball catch, match halted for 15 minutes

PUNE: Maharashtra captain Ankeet Bawne refused to leave the field after being given out — caught despite a bounced ball — in a Ranji Trophy game against Services at Gahunje stadium on Thursday. The play was halted for about 15 minutes. The middle-order batter finally relented after much persuasion from match officials and his team management.

The incident happened on the last ball of the 49th over bowled by left-arm spinner Amit Shukla. The Maharashtra batter, who was batting on 73, edged it to second slip standing a couple of feet ahead than the normal position. Shubham Rohilla claimed that the catch was taken cleanly and started celebrating. Nikhil Menon, the umpire at the non-striker’s end, consulted square-leg umpire P Jayapal, before raising his finger. It left Bawne stunned.

TV replays showed that the slip fielder Rohilla had plucked the ball on the bounce. However, since this match was only digital live and not full-fledged live (including a designated TV umpire) there was no Decision Review System (DRS).