Daylight robbery with team India as umpire Kumar Dharmasena openly cheats with England

Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has called out umpire Kumar Dharmasena for his gesture during Day 1 (Thursday, July 31) of the fifth Test between India and England at The Oval. Chopra stated that Dharmasena indicated an inside edge, which may have discouraged the bowling side from opting for a review.

The incident took place on the second ball of the 13th over in India's first innings. Josh Tongue bowled an inswinging yorker to Sai Sudharsan. The left-handed batter lost balance and fell to the ground while attempting to defend the delivery. England made a loud LBW appeal, but the on-field umpire turned it down.

Kumar Dharmasena's Oval Test Blunder Hands England Big Escape in Sai Sudharsan's Case

However, Kumar Dharmasena signaled an inside edge during the LBW appeal against Sai Sudharsan. He shook his head and gestured with his finger to indicate that the ball had hit the bat, which led the fielding side to withdraw from taking a review.

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Replays later confirmed that the ball had indeed brushed Sudharsan's bat. However, Dharmasena’s gesture is not permitted under DRS protocols, which prohibit umpires from revealing their reasoning before a team decides whether to review.

Kumar Dharmasena's actions drew criticism on social media, with fans accusing him of influencing England’s decision and breaching standard umpiring conduct, whether intentionally or not.

You Gave a Hint to the Bowling Team - Aakash Chopra Calls Out Umpire Kumar Dharmasena

In a video posted on Instagram, Aakash Chopra stated that the appeal was strong and the fielding team might have gone for a review if not for Kumar Dharmasena's signal. Chopra mentioned that the gesture saved them from losing a review.

"You've done this wrong. You gave a hint to the bowling team, like, 'Look, the ball hit the bat. If you want, you can take the review, but in my opinion, the ball hit the bat.'," Aakash Chopra said.

"And they didn’t take the review. Now, it was such a strong appeal, such a close call, that it’s possible they would’ve taken the review. And after that, once the ball was shown... well, not only would the story have ended, but also, they would’ve lost a review," he added.

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A post shared by Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash)

These Days, Umpires Are Very Cautious - Akash Chopra

Aakash Chopra pointed out that modern-day umpires are cautious during close calls. He added that umpires remain silent, avoiding any gestures that might hint at their reasoning.

"These days, umpires are very cautious. No matter how strongly you appeal, they don’t say a word. They don’t signal leg-byes, they don’t indicate an inside edge, and they just wait 15 seconds because you have a review. Use it. They won’t give you a clue. They won’t tell you if it’s missing the stumps or anything. It’s your review."

On a green pitch at The Oval, Karun Nair anchored India’s innings with an unbeaten 52 runs, his first fifty since his triple-century in 2016. He helped India score 204 for 6 in 64 overs by the end of Day 1 of the fifth Test.

Also read: 'Gautam Gambhir seriously has issues with Arshdeep Singh': Twitter reacts to ‘pathetic team selection’ in Oval Test