ENG vs IND: Sunil Gavaskar questions umpires’ decision to not allow Rishabh Pant to stand outside the crease

Cricketer-turned-commentator Sunil Gavaskar is hugely disappointed on the on-field umpires about the way they asked wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant to not leave his crease on the first day of the third Test match between England and India in Leeds.

Apparently, Pant tried to do something different by leaving his crease, which the umpires found not right owing to the footmarks he was creating deliberately.

Gavaskar was left surprised by what he saw and felt the footmarks can be created from anywhere during the game.

“I was wondering why was he told to change his stance if that is true. I only read it. A batsman can stand anywhere, even on the middle of the pitch, and what about when the batsman goes down the track against the spinners (footmarks can form even then),” Gavaskar said while commentating on the third day of the match.

Apart from Gavaskar, even fellow commentator Sanjay Manjrekar termed the event ridiculous. Pant further shed light on the events on day one and said the umpires thought I was coming into the danger area by stepping out of the crease.

“Because I was standing outside the crease and my front foot was coming into the danger area, so he (the umpire) told me that you can’t stand there,” Pant had said during the virtual post-day press conference on Wednesday.

“So, I have (had) to change my stance, but as a cricketer, I don’t have to think too much about that because it’s everyone who is going to do that umpires are going to say the same thing. I didn’t do that the next ball and, you move on.”