Shubman Gill’s frank opinion on Hardik Pandya’s controversial dismissal: “As a non-striker, I didn’t think the ball hit the stumps”

Sharing his views on Hardik Pandya’s controversial dismissal in the first ODI against New Zealand, Team India opener Shubman Gill opined that he didn’t think the ball hit the stumps. Gill was at the non-striker’s end when the third umpire adjudged Pandya bowled to Daryl Mitchell.

The Indian all-rounder was dismissed for 28 off 38 after the hosts won the toss and decided to bat first in Hyderabad on Wednesday, January 18. Pandya tried to guide a ball from Mitchell fine, but missed the delivery. A bail came off and the on-field umpires went upstairs for a verdict.

Keeper Tom Latham’s gloves were very close to the stumps, and it was difficult to figure out if the ball dislodged the bail or the keeper. The third umpire, however, ruled in the fielding side’s favor.

Pandya’s unlucky dismissal did not hurt India as Gill smacked a double hundred to star in the team’s 12-run win. In the post-match conference, the young opener was asked for his views on Pandya’s wicket. He candidly replied:

“As a non-striker batsman, I didn’t think that the ball hit the stumps, even when I was watching the replay. Sometimes there’s a blind spot - you can’t really tell what happened. I thought with the bail falling towards the crease, it’s a bit weird if the ball is hitting like that and the bail falling towards the crease.

“These bails are different. It’s a heavy bail and the stumps are a bit different. But, at the end of the day, you have to go with the third umpire and respect his decision.”

Pandya was dismissed in the 40th over of India’s innings. Following the wicket, Gill single-handedly lifted the Men in Blue to 349/8, with a flurry of big hits.

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“Main focus for me was to be there for the team” - Shubman Gill

Gill’s ton on Wednesday was his second consecutive one-day hundred. He had scored 116 in the previous match against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram. While he has been in terrific form, there have been instances when he has fallen to soft dismissals.

The 23-year-old admitted that the big knock meant a lot to him. He elaborated:

“In the first ODI against Sri Lanka and in the third ODI, I was set. I was looking to get a big score. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Once I was set here, the main focus for me was to be there for the team and score as many runs as possible. It feels good when it pays off.”

Adding that consistency is one of the key factors to success in international cricket, he concluded:

“Consistency is the key to everything. It’s one of the things that I strive for. Being consistent as a batsman is very important in any format. It feels nice when you are doing things over a period of time repeatedly.”

Despite Gill’s heroics, India only narrowly sneaked home to victory as Michael Bracewell scored a superb 140 off 78 balls for New Zealand in the chase.