India are indubitably in command of the first Test in Hyderabad. After brilliantly combining with Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel to limit England to a below-par total of 246 in the first innings, Ravindra Jadeja wielded his willow with elan, scoring a majestic half-century and taking India past 400. However, as the southpaw neared what would have been a well-deserved century, he was ruled out LBW at 87. (Match Blog | Streaming)
In the 120th over of the hosts's innings, Joe Root bowled a length ball around off stump that Jadeja tried to fend off the front foot. With bat and pad adjacent, the ball seemed to have struck his pad and bat both and Jadeja was adjudged leg before wicket.
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The all-rounder reviewed the decision immediately, and the replays suggested that he had got an inside edge. The matter of contention was whether it was bat first or pad, and the third umpire could not conclusively determine that.
So he went with the on-field umpire's call on that, and proceeded to ball-tracking, where the impact was umpire's call, and so was the ball hitting part, as the projection showed it just trimming the bails. But since the on-field umpire had ruled it out, the decision was upheld and Jadeja had to walk back dejected, 13 runs short of a splendid ton.
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Several social media users and cricket enthusiasts took umbrage at the decision and questioned why it was given out in the first place.
Sports presenter Ridhima Pathak posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter): "Bat first or pad first? A tough call for sure and that means Jadeja has to go on 87. Another Indian batsman fails to get past that 100 run mark."
