At Eden Gardens on Sunday, South Africa found themselves outclassed by India’s bowling prowess. They rapidly slumped to 40/5 in their demanding pursuit of 327 runs. The collapse began with Mohammed Siraj, who dismissed Quinton de Kock in his very first over.
Ravindra Jadeja then inflicted significant damage by removing Temba Bavuma and Heinrich Klaasen. While Bavuma’s stumps were shattered by a superb delivery, Klaasen’s dismissal was more contentious, leading to another memorable moment involving Rohit Sharma and the stump microphone.
Jadeja unleashed a brisk 99 kph delivery to the explosive batsman on the penultimate ball of the 13th over. The ball pitched close to the leg stump crease. Klaasen dropped to his knees in an attempt to sweep the ball, but the spin caused it to elude his bat and thud into his pads, prompting enthusiastic appeals from the Indian team.
However, the umpire remained unmoved, deeming the ball to have pitched on the leg stump. The Indian players gathered to discuss the possibility of a Decision Review System (DRS) challenge. Jadeja was insistent that it was a straightforward dismissal, passionately explaining his viewpoint to KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma.
The latter initially listened to his bowler for a moment but then allowed his frustration to show, making a sharp comment, something along the lines of, “Yehi toh ek batsman hai (does he think he is the only batsman),” while gesturing towards Jadeja.
— bhupendar jogi (@JogiBhupen85333) November 5, 2023
— bhupendar jogi (@JogiBhupen85333) November 5, 2023
Despite the disagreement, the skipper ultimately decided to use the DRS, and to Jadeja’s relief, it turned out to be the correct call, leading to Klaasen’s departure. Twitter users found humor in Rohit’s sarcastic remark and flooded social media with their reactions to the incident.