SRH vs RCB: Virat Kohli's teammate issues an official statement on behalf of his team for Kohli's controversial dismissal
Updated - 22 Apr 2024, 12:46 PM
Table of Contents
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Reece Topley made shocking remarks on Virat Kohli's dismissal in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Reece Topley labeled Virat Kohli's dismissal as a 'grey area' in cricket, stating that no one had thought of it.
Virat Kohli expressed frustration over his dismissal during the Bengaluru team's recent match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, April 21. The right-handed batter was dismissed by KKR pacer Harshit Rana. Kohli was given out despite a waist-high full toss in the third over of RCB's innings.
The on-field umpires referred the decision to the third umpire to determine the height of the full toss. The replays indicated that Kohli was out of his crease when he made contact with the ball. The third umpire believed that the ball would have dipped below waist height if Kohli had stayed in his crease.
Get Rid Of A Grey Area - Reece Topley
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Reece Topley stated that they didn't expect Virat Kohli to be dismissed.
"Obviously, those measurements are brought in to get rid of a grey area, and then you have something today that no one had thought of," said Topley, who was not a part of the RCB XI on Sunday.
The Ball Was Over His Hip High - Reece Topley
Topley mentioned that Kohli was outside his crease when the ball was above hip height. He emphasized that the measurement was taken with Kohli inside the crease.
"He (Kohli) was obviously out of his crease and the ball was over his hip high, then obviously he was out of his crease down the wicket. The measurement was taken with Virat inside the crease so it's a bit of a grey area. Obviously, it's fine margin and would be spoken about in a game where the victory margin is just one run," Topley further added in the press conference.
Two People Can Have Different Opinions - Reece Topley
Reece Topley was asked about his personal take on Kohli's dismissal. He stated that it was a tough decision, and the RCB team believed Kohli shouldn't have been given out. He also suggested a need for more clarity in the rules.
"I can throw this back to you saying what was your opinion. It's tough...two people can have two different opinions. In our camp, we feel like it's a grey area, like uncharted territory, so probably you need more clarifications in the rules," Topley concluded.
In the daunting pursuit of 223 runs, Virat Kohli started aggressively, hitting two sixes and a four. He scored 18 runs off seven balls before his dismissal in the third over. Skipper Faf du Plessis (7) also departed early, leaving the visiting team in a challenging situation at 35/2 in 3.1 overs.
Will Jacks (55) and Rajat Patidar (52) played crucial knocks to control the required run rate. However, their dismissals in quick succession halted RCB's momentum. Dinesh Karthik (25) and Karn Sharma (20) made efforts towards the end, but the team fell short by just one run in the end.
