India dominated England on Day 1 of the ongoing fifth Test which is underway in Dharamsala. As of 52 overs England are reeling at 189/8, thanks to Kuldeep Yadav's spin wizardry, who dismantled the visitors with a splendid fifer.
But Day 1 of the play witnessed an incident that grabbed everyone's attention.
India, who were earlier holding England at two wickets down by lunch, missed the chance to claim a third wicket shortly after the second session began on March 7 due to an overlooked DRS call. Differing opinions among Rohit Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel allowed Zak Crawley, who had already scored a half-century, to escape what could have been a critical dismissal, leading to a major miss from Team India.
Sarfaraz Khan was left shaking his head in disbelief
The moment of contention arose in the 26th over, marking the start of the session's play as Kuldeep Yadav took the ball post-lunch. On the second delivery, Crawley attempted a glance shot but seemed to mishit it, sending the ball into the air off an uncertain touch, either pad or bat. The ball, moving quickly, brushed Jurel's gloves. Before it could hit the ground, however, Sarfaraz, positioned at short leg, caught it.
As soon as Sarfaraz caught the ball, he and his teammates launched into a massive appeal, with Sarfaraz showing extra zeal. Despite the umpire's negative response, an animated Sarfaraz approached Rohit to plead for a DRS review. Rohit, caught between the youthful enthusiasm of Jurel and Sarfaraz, seemed indecisive. He appeared inclined to consider Sarfaraz's fervent plea, who was visibly eager and almost begging him to seek a review.
However, Rohit ultimately leaned towards the wicketkeeper Jurel's skepticism, choosing his perspective over Sarfaraz's impassioned argument. Sarfaraz dominated the debate for most of the decision-making time, displaying peak animation. In the end, the initial decision remained unchanged as Rohit and the Indian team opted not to contest the umpire's call.
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When the game resumed post-advertisement, and the contentious delivery was shown again on the stadium's large screen, it revealed a slight edge, leaving the Indian team in disbelief. Sarfaraz couldn't help but respond with a sarcastic grin and a shake of his head upon seeing the replay. The camera then captured Jurel, who appeared embarrassed, and finally Rohit, who attempted to downplay the situation with a forced smile. As the replay continued from various angles, Rohit recognized his mistake, signaled a thumbs up to Sarfaraz, and light-heartedly engaged in what could only be described as typical Rohit antics, including a playful gesture toward Sarfaraz. Even Kuldeep, from his position on the field, showed signs of distress.
The incident led to another notable moment a few overs later when the roles were reversed during Crawley's attempt at a glance from Jasprit Bumrah's delivery, caught by the keeper. This time, Jurel was persuaded, but Sarfaraz expressed doubt by shaking his head. Yet again, Sarfaraz's instinct was correct, as the noise was from the ball hitting the thigh pad, not the bat. Despite Rohit's earlier misjudgment, it didn't have a significant impact, as Kuldeep later dismissed Crawley for 79, claiming his third wicket of the innings.
India's Playing XI
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
England's Playing XI
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir.
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