Ranji Trophy witnesses most bizarre dismissal for Lamabam Ajay Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin destroys BCCI
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The Ranji Trophy clash between Meghalaya and Manipur marked the most bizarre dismissal in the history of the Ranji Trophy, as a batter was ruled out for having hit the ball twice in an attempt to intercept it from hitting the stumps.
The fifth round of the Ranji Trophy is currently underway, and a bizarre incident that occurred in the plate group matches has left every cricket fan shocked. Some former cricketers like Ravichandran Ashwin have also taken an interest in the matter.
The plate group of the Ranji Trophy consists of second-tier teams that are not part of the Elite Groups in the tournament. Manipur, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Bihar, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Lamabam Ajay Singh's dismissal sends shockwaves to cricket enthusiasts
The bizarre incident occurred during a game between Plate Group teams Manipur and Meghalaya, when Manipur's Lamabam Ajay Singh fell to one of cricket's rarest of dismissals. He was given out for having hit the ball twice with his bat.
Ajay Singh defended a delivery from Aryan Bora and saw it rolling towards the stumps, which was just when he intercepted the ball with his bat. He had already hit the ball while defending it, and this marked his second intentional impact on the ball by the bat.
As per ESPNcricinfo reports, people have mentioned that even if the ball was heading towards the stumps and the batter used his bat to remove it, it was well within the laws of the game. However, the batter or anyone from the management never protested against the umpire's decision.
"He could've padded it away, but he chose to stop it with his bat and was immediately given out 'hit the ball twice' by umpire Dharmesh Bhardwaj," a venue official said. "The batter walked off the moment Meghalaya appealed."
Previous incidents of such bizarre dismissals in the Ranji Trophy
There have been previous incidents as well where cricketers have been dismissed in one of those bizarre fashions. For the Ranji Trophy, the last time such a thing occurred was back during the 2005-06 season, when Jammu & Kashmir captain Dhruv Mahajan was ruled out similarly.
Before that, only three other Ranji cricketers had suffered the same fate: Andhra's K. Bavanna (1963-64), J&K's Shahid Parvez (1986-87), and Tamil Nadu's Anand George (1998-99). This time, the dismissal led to a lower-order collapse, and Manipur handed their opponents a huge lead in the innings.
Ravichandran Ashwin challenges cricket rules, takes sly dig at unconventional dismissal
As per Clause 34.1.1 of the MCC Laws, a striker is out 'hit the ball twice' if, while the ball is in play, it makes contact with any part of their body or bat, and the striker then wilfully strikes it a second time with the bat or with any part of the body (other than a hand not holding the bat), before a fielder touches the ball—except when the second strike is solely to protect their wicket.
Despite the laws being entirely in favour of the batter, there was no opposition from him or his team. Rather, former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin later slammed the decision and commented that such dismissals take place only in 'gully cricket' and not according to the actual laws of the game.
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Ranji Trophy Ravichandran Ashwin Lamabam Ajay Singh Manipur Meghalaya India National Cricket Team BCCI
