In a hilarious passage of play during the series-deciding third ODI against South Africa in Visakhapatnam, senior player Rohit Sharma stepped into the role of the unofficial DRS Gatekeeper, denying bowler Kuldeep Yadav a review three times in quick succession.
The incident, which saw stand-in captain KL Rahul and Virat Kohli join in the fun, highlighted Kuldeep’s famously aggressive approach to reviewing decisions, even when incorrect.
The Ngidi Review Trilogy
The drama unfolded between the 43rd and 45th overs of the South African innings, with Lungi Ngidi being the batter at the receiving end of Kuldeep’s appeals.
First Appeal (43rd Over): Kuldeep hit Ngidi’s pads and immediately pleaded with captain KL Rahul for a review, saying, “Le lo, do bache hai,” (Take it, two are left). Rohit Sharma, fielding in the slips, quickly shut him down, screaming: “Kya? Pad pe lagne se hi out hai?” (What? Does hitting the pad automatically mean it’s out?). A laughing Kuldeep was reluctantly shooed back to his mark.
Second Appeal (Next Ball): When Ngidi was beaten by a yorker, Kuldeep appealed again. This time, Rohit couldn’t stop laughing, while Virat Kohli, standing at mid-wicket, joined in with a big chuckle as Kuldeep made another unsuccessful plea.
Third Appeal (Next Over): Kuldeep beat Ngidi on the outside edge. He appealed once more and was once again denied, with replays later confirming Rohit’s judgment was spot-on on all three occasions.
Kuldeep Admits His DRS Problem
In the mid-innings break, Kuldeep admitted that his judgment regarding the Decision Review System (DRS) is notoriously poor and thanked his senior teammates for keeping him in check.
“In DRS I’m very bad, he keeps pulling my leg all the time,” Kuldeep told the broadcasters. “Whenever I’m bowling, if I hit the pad, I feel like every ball is wicket… When you have a captain and a former captain like them… you have to have those people around to calm you down, as there are only three available.”
Despite the light-hearted exchange, Kuldeep had a fantastic day with the ball, finishing with figures of 4/41. He eventually got his man when the umpire finally adjudged Ngidi LBW, a decision which was confirmed on review. Kuldeep and Prasidh Krishna (4/66) shared eight wickets between them to bowl out South Africa for 270, despite a century from Quinton de Kock.