Third umpire Paul Reiffel has come under scrutiny as fans believe Rishabh Pant was wrongly given out on day three of the final Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. With fans believing that there was no conclusive evidence to overturn the decision of the on-field, netizens have blasted the former Australian all-rounder.
The dismissal occurred in the 22nd over of the innings as the left-handed batter charged down the track and tried to wear a length ball from Ajaz on the pads. After much deliberation, New Zealand captain Tom Latham went for the review and replays showed that the ball seemed to brush the pad before hitting the pad. However, with the bat close to the pad, fans believed it was the bat striking the pad. Reiffel eventually gave the decision in favour of the Kiwis.
With Pant carrying India's hopes, the left-hander departing for 64 brought stunned silence to the crowd. The 26-year-old was also not happy with the decision and dragged himself off the field.
Here's how netizens, including Wasim Jaffer, AB de Villiers have reacted to the dismissal:
Ajaz Patel takes 11 wickets in the match to inflict a historic 3-0 whitewash on Team India:
Meanwhile, India hardly had anything to serve after Pant's dismissal as Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin resisted for a few overs, trying to get their team closer to the target. However, Glenn Phillips struck twice in two deliveries to dismiss Ashwin and Akash Deep.
Ajaz, who had taken five in the first innings, closed the innings out by dismissing Washington Sundar to add six more to his tally.
