New Delhi: In perhaps one of the most bizarre incidents in the history of cricket, Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran was run out in an unusual, unheard
and unseen manner during a Ranji Trophy match against Services.
Easwaran’s dismissal fuelled controversy in the Ranji clash in Kalyani, Bengal, on Thursday and sparked a massive debate on the spirit of cricket. In the Round six of the Ranji Trophy clash between Bengal and Services, Easwaran was caught off guard after walking out of his crease for what he thought was a drinks break. But it was a misjudgement on his part, one which cost him dearly as the ball was still in play.
The Bengal captain, unbeaten on 81, was looking good for a century at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground in Kalyani, but his stay was cut short when a routine moment at the non-striker’s end turned into a troublesome situation for the home side.
The incident occured the last delivery of the 41st over when Sudip Chatterjess drove Services pacer Aditya Kumar straight down the pitch. Easwaran, standing at the non-striker’s end, remarkably, started walking away from his crease after assuming that the over was complete and that the drinks break had been called.
Abhimanyu Easwaran’s misjudgment leads to a bizarre dismissal
However, he misjudged the moment completely. The ball had not been declared dead before he stepped out of the crease. To make matters worse for the Bengal captain, the bowler got fingertips to the drive on his follow-through, and the ball ricocheted to hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
Even though Easwaran was neither attempting a run nor looking to gain any advantage of the situation, the Services players launched a massive appeal. The on-field umpires, also baffled by the incident, referred the appeal upstairs, where the third umpire confirmed Easwaran’s dismissal after finding him out of the crease when the stumps were broken.
Following the end of the day’s play, Easwaran responded to his dismissal and accepted responsibility for the lapse in judgment. He also played down any “spirit of cricket” debate after the Services decided against withdrawing the appeal.
“The mistake I made surprised even me,” he said, adding it was “entirely my fault”. Easwaran also revealed that he “instinctively moved forward” thinking the bowler had collected the ball, and that players were on their way to take the short break.
