The ongoing third Test match between India and England at Lord’s has been marked by several controversial umpiring decisions, with particular scrutiny falling on Australian umpire Paul Reiffel. On the fourth day of this crucial match, a number of decisions have sparked debate and drawn criticism from former cricketers and fans.
R Ashwin comes down heavily on Paul Reiffel's poor umpiring
Meanwhile, legendary India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come down heavily on Paul Reiffel and has openly criticised his shoddy umpiring, suggesting a pattern of decisions that have gone against the Indian team. Ashwin shared his own past experiences with the experienced umpire in a discussion on his YouTube channel 'Ash ki Baat'.
"My experience with Paul Reiffel… I want to talk to him. I am not saying that I should tell him that give it out. It’s not like that. Whenever India bowls, he always feels it’s not out. Whenever India bats, he always feels it’s out. If it’s not against India but against all teams, then the ICC has to see towards it," Ashwin said of Reiffel.
Ashwin specifically highlighted two instances where he felt the umpiring decisions were questionable. The first incident involved an LBW appeal made by Mohammed Siraj against Joe Root. Reiffel turned down the appeal, despite replays suggesting that the ball would have made contact with the leg stump. Due to the 'umpire's call' rule within the Decision Review System (DRS), the on-field umpire's decision was upheld. Later in the day, another contentious decision occurred when Shubman Gill was given out caught behind by Reiffel off the bowling of Brydon Carse. However, DRS replays appeared to indicate that there was no contact between the bat and the ball. Ashwin also mentioned another decision during the match where there seemed to be a significant gap between the batsman's bat and the ball.
"I own a car, a sedan, which I can park through the gap between the bat and ball. It’s clear it was not out. But this is not the first time. My father was watching the match with me. And he told me, ‘whenever Paul Reiffel comes, India will not win.’ Even Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain said the umpires could have acted a bit firmer with players taking time," Ashwin further stated.
Talking about the match, India are currently placed at a precarious position of 81/6 after 23.5 overs on Day 5 while chasing a target of 193.