At Friday’s IPL 2024 match between the Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, Rishabh Pant got into a heated argument with the on-field umpire, which did not sit well with former Australia cricketer Adam Gilchrist. Gilchrist believed that instead of getting swept up in pointless debates during a game, umpires ought to have more control over the sport.
The incident
During the fourth over of Lucknow’s batting, Pant was observed engaging in a protracted and animated conversation with an on-field umpire. After Delhi lost a wide-ball review of an Ishant Sharma delivery to Devdutt Padikkal, he appeared visibly irate. It was later understood that Pant told the umpires that he did not call for a review. However, a replay quickly showed the Delhi captain gesturing with the ‘T’ sign after the delivery.
Pant should be fined: Gilchrist
After LSG’s innings, Gilchrist told Cricbuzz that the umpire and Pant should have had a shorter, more straightforward conversation, with the on-field official merely telling the captain to move on once a decision has been made. He went on to say that if a player continues to prolong the conversation, umpires ought to have the authority to fine them.
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“I saw another example tonight where umpires need to take better control of games, and that is in any format. They just got to do a better job at moving things forward. There was a dispute over whether Rishabh had reviewed it. Okay, there was a miscommunication over the review call. But they stood there and spoke about that for 3-4 minutes. It’s a very simple conversation, I believe. No matter how much Rishabh is complaining or any other player is complaining, umpires should just say, ‘it’s over’ and quickly move on. But if he keeps talking, he should get fined,” the Aussie said.