Rohit did not shout at the umpire: Bhajji

Sharma was at the crease when Mumbai needed 17 off the last over to win against Rising Pune Supergiant. After losing Hardik Pandya in the first ball, Sharma hit a six in the second but Jaydev Unadkat pushed the third delivery wide after seeing Sharma shuffle across the stumps but umpire S Ravi didn’t call it a wide. 

Disappointed with the decision, Sharma walked up to the umpire and protested even as the square-leg umpire A Nand Kishore intervened. He was fined 50 per cent of his match fee after the incident. 

“The ball was too far outside, to be honest, but I don’t really know whether it was wide or not,” Harbhajan said. “If both the batsman’s leg move, then bowler should get the margin, but Rohit’s one leg had moved and as per me it should have been a wide. But we have to move on with the umpire’s decision and they played better than us and it was great game of cricket. 

“He (Rohit) wanted to check the rule then, where he needed to stand, he did not shout at the umpire and asked him why did he not call a wide, he was asking where should I stand so that it is called a wide, if the bowl so outside, the more you move, the bowler will get the margin,” he explained. Harbhajan also differed that because of that particular ball, the hosts and specially Sharma lost the momentum. 

“I don’t know whether momentum was lost (because of the wide not being called), Rohit was hitting nicely but unfortunately he ended up hitting the ball straight in the air,” he said.

“Just before that he hit a six and a similar ball went up in the air. I don’t think momentum would have lost, at that time (you need to do) as a batter, just see and hit the ball, Rohit was batting on 50 odd, so don’t think there were chances to lose the momentum,” he added.