Dharmasena under fire after controversial DRS gesture at The Oval

Overview

• Umpire Kumar Dharmasena got involved in a controversy on day one of the ongoing Oval Test
• His gesture over an appeal seemed to help England not to go for a review
• Sanjay Bangar slammed Dharmasena

The fifth and final Test of the ongoing England vs India series is underway at The Oval, and after Day One, India posted 204/6 in 64 overs. But the day's play wasn’t without controversy, as on-field umpire Kumar Dharmasena drew criticism for a gesture that appeared to influence England’s decision not to review an appeal—sparking outrage among fans and former cricketers alike.

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The incident occurred on the second ball of the 13th over, when Josh Tongue bowled an in-swinging yorker to Sai Sudharsan. The left-hander attempted to block the delivery but lost his balance and fell as the ball struck his pads. England went up in a loud appeal for LBW. In response, Dharmasena shook his head and gestured with his fingers to suggest an inside edge, effectively signalling to the fielding side that the batter was not out.

Sanjay Bangar was not happy with Kumar Dharmasena

That subtle gesture was enough for England to abandon the idea of a DRS review—and it did not sit well with former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar. Speaking on Star Sports, Bangar criticised Dharmasena's conduct, saying: “These habits don’t go away easily for umpires because it’s second nature to them. Whenever there is an appeal, you try to say it. Because when Dharmasena had started his umpiring career, there was no DRS then. But now, you are not supposed to give a signal on what’s going on in your mind. Or else, the bowler and the bowling team gets a sort of a hint on what’s going on in the umpire’s mind. The umpire should not have done that.”

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However, Indian umpire Anil Chaudhary came to Dharmasena’s defence. Speaking to MyKhel, Chaudhary explained: “It just happens by mistake. No umpire at that level will do it deliberately, hence it just happens by accident. It also sometimes happens with us in domestic matches, as it happens in a flow. But you have to be very careful, especially in the 15-second with the DRS.”