Virat Kohli’s controversial dismissal has divided everyone. The batter, who had been labeled as the ‘chase master’ departed for a quickfire 18(7) with his side chasing a mammoth 223-run target. His early departure could have been the difference between the two sides, as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost by a tantalizingly small margin of 1 run.
The question is: was the third umpire wrong? Or were Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis misinformed about the new law that has come into effect in IPL 2024?
New no-ball rule & why Virat Kohli was out
Before the start of the season, each player’s height to the waist was measured. With this collected data, the waist-high no-ball became player specific. A player’s height, where he is standing in the crease and whether his knees are bent or not, all come into effect when an umpire calls an waist-high no-ball.
As we can see from the image below, Virat Kohli played the ball when it was over his waist. However, Kohli was standing outside the stepping crease. Therefore, the height of the no-ball was adjusted according to what it would have been if Kohli was standing exactly on the crease. The reason behind the trajectory of the ball going down was the fact that Harshit Rana attempted to bowl a slower ball that slipped out of his hand and, instead of hitting the pitch, went on as a waist-high full toss.
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Virat Kohli still unhappy about the no-ball call
Despite the match being done and dusted, Virat Kohli wasn’t satisfied with the decision. He was seen having an animated chat with the umpire, asking him for an explanation as to why and how that ball was deemed fair. The to-and-fro between the two went on for a minute, and eventually, they seemed to have come to a mutual agreement.
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