India suffered a disappointing start to their Women's T20 World Cup campaign in Dubai, facing both on-field struggles and a contentious decision against New Zealand.
A controversial 'dead ball' call involving Amelia Kerr in the first innings added to their woes, leaving Captain Harmanpreet Kaur visibly frustrated during an animated exchange with the umpires at the Dubai international stadium.
Ravichandran Ashwin also weighed in on the controversy through a tweet, pointing out a significant error in the run-out incident.
Ashwin's tweet highlighted a critical point: "'he over was called before the start of the second run. Whose fault is this really?'
The tweet was soon deleted, but it reflected the widespread frustration over the decision.
India eventually succumbed to a heavy defeat, losing by 58 runs, placing their campaign in a challenging position.
The controversy occurred in the 14th over of New Zealand's innings. Kerr hit a delivery from Deepti Sharma towards long off and set off for a single.
Harmanpreet collected the ball and, noticing New Zealand attempting a second run, threw it to wicket-keeper Richa Ghosh, who dived to run Kerr out.
However, just as Kerr was walking back to the pavilion, the on-field umpires ruled it a dead ball, sparking confusion and debate.
Harmanpreet was visibly upset, arguing with the umpires, while Head Coach Amol Mazumdar was seen in a heated discussion with the match referee.
According to replays and commentary from former cricketer W V Raman, the confusion stemmed from the fact that the over was called after Deepti had collected her hat, and the second run had begun only afterward.
Despite the contentious nature of the decision, the umpires followed the Laws of Cricket, specifically Law 20, which governs the dead ball.
Clause 20.1 of the Laws states: 'The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler's end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.'
In this situation, both teams were still actively playing, which added to the controversy.
However, once the dead ball call was made, the umpires had no authority to overturn it, as stated in clause 20.6: 'Once the ball is dead, no revoking of any decision can bring the ball back into play for that delivery.'
The incident quickly went viral on social media, with Indian fans questioning the rationale behind the call.
