Kumar Dharmasena slammed for ‘second nature habits’ after DRS review controversy, Indian umpire rushes to his defence

Day 1 of the ongoing fifth and final India vs England Test match was action-packed in London, filled with its fair share of spice, drama and entertainment. The ongoing series has been filled controversies, and one such occured on Thursday, and this time the spotlight fell on umpire Kumar Dharmasena. The Sri Lankan made a huge error, which saw England avoid wasting a DRS review against India’s Sai Sudharsan. Kumar Dharmasena was involved in a DRS review controversy.

The controversy happened in the second delivery of the 13th over, with Josh Tongue sending an inswinging yorker, which took the Gujarat Titans batter by surprise. He tried to defend, but then lost his balance and fell to the ground, and the ball struck him low on the pad.

England began to scream for a LBW, but then Dharmasena shook his head, signalling an inside-edge with his finger. The gesture saw England not go for the review.

Sanjay Bangar slams Kumar Dharmasena

Dharmasena’s major blunder left former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar enraged. Speaking on Star Sports, he lashed out at the umpire and stated that he ‘should not have done that’.

“These habits don’t go away easily for umpires because it’s second nature to them. Whenever there is an appeal, you try to say it. Because when Dharmasena had started his umpiring career, there was no DRS then. But now, you are not supposed to give a signal on what’s going on in your mind. Or else, the bowler and the bowling team gets a sort of a hint on what’s going on in the umpire’s mind. The umpire should not have done that,” he said.

Indian umpire defends Kumar Dharmasena

Replays also showed that the ball struck Sudharsan’s bat before he fell to the ground and Dharmasena’s mistake saw England not go for the review. As a former cricketer, he represented the Sri Lankan side that won the 1996 Cricket World Cup.

Meanwhile, renowned Indian umpire Anil Chaudhary rushed to Dharmasena’s defence. Speaking to MyKhel, he pointed out that it happened ‘by mistake’. “It just happens by mistake. No umpire at that level will do it deliberately, hence it just happens by accident. It also sometimes happens with us in domestic matches, as it happens in a flow. But you have to be very careful, especially in the 15-second with the DRS,” he said.

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