Legendary India cricketer Irfan Pathan has emphasized a crucial aspect of cricket rules to be changed in relation to the ball being ruled out of play after
the umpire has made their on-field decision. Irfan pointed to a similar incident that unfolded during the fourth T20I of the ongoing series, which involved opening batter and vice-captain Shubman Gill.
For the unversed, Gill was declared lbw on the first ball of the 14th over. The Indian T20I vice-captain sent the decision upstairs right away, as he was confident of having edged the ball before it hit his pads. The replays showed a big inside-edge onto the pad, and the decision was reversed, with India retaining their review.
Gill, who was batting along with skipper Suryakumar Yadav, had completed a single by the time the umpire had made his decision. However, despite him being not-out eventually, the single was called off because of the ball being ruled out dead. Irfan has said that the teams should be allowed a run, and the ball should not be declared dead.
Umpire gives it out, batter reviews, it’s not out, so why is the batting team losing a run? Makes no sense. Time for a rule change.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) November 6, 2025
Speaking of the match, Indiaemerged victorious by 48 runs in Carrara. Axar Patel (21* off 11 and 2/20 in 4 overs) secured the Player of the Match award for his all-round display. Gill emerged as the top-scorer for the Men in Blue with 46 off 39. Washington Sundar picked up three wickets in his 1.2 overs, while conceding only three runs.
The Suryakumar Yadav-led group lead the series by two matches to one. The final match of the white-ball series is scheduled to be played at the Brisbane Cricket Ground on November 8 (Saturday). India were defeated in the ODI leg by a 2-1 margin. The Aussies had wrapped up the series by winning the first couple of 50-over matches. India performed significantly better in the dead rubber to emerge victorious by nine wickets and 69 balls to spare.
The team will fly back to India after the final T20I to take on South Africa in an all-format series which will comprise two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is. The red-ball squad for the two-match series has already been announced by the BCCI on Wednesday, November 5.
