'The third umpire went according to the rule book' - Dinesh Karthik on Virat Kohli's controversial LBW decision

Virat Kohli’s dismissal in the 1st innings of the 2nd Test match against New Zealand has become a huge talking point. Kohli was adjudged leg before wicket by the on-field umpire, and the Indian skipper reviewed the decision.

The replays showed that the ball might have hit the bat as well as the pad at the same time. Third umpire Virender Sharma ruled Kohli out, as he did not find conclusive evidence to overturn the decision given by the on-field umpire. And, Kohli departed for a duck.

And now, Dinesh Karthik has offered his thoughts on this matter. Karthik said that when he saw the dismissal live for the first time, he thought it hit the pad first, but when the replays were shown, he knew it was a close call. Karthik also added that according to the rules, the third umpire should find conclusive evidence to overturn the decision given by the on-field umpire, and Virender Sharma, the third umpire did not find conclusive evidence.

“I saw it live, and when I saw it first, maybe it was pad-bat-pad. But when they kept showing the replays, it looked very close. According to the rule books, there has to be conclusive evidence to turn the decision over, and I think umpire Virender Sharma did not find conclusive evidence even though the Twitter world and the rest of the social media world are very sure it hit the bat first,” said Karthik in a chat with Cricbuzz.

Virat Kohli’s LBW decision was a really hard one: Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik also added that a zoomer is required to find out where the ball has hit first. Karthik also feels that there was so much confusion, and Virender Sharma went according to the rule book, even though it was a highly debatable decision.

“To be honest, it is a really hard one you need a zoomer, and you literally need to know where the ball hits first. And when it hits the bat, you could see the back of the ball hitting the pad as well.  So, when there is so much confusion, you go with the decision the umpire has given on the ground. And, umpire Virender Sharma went according to the rule book which is not popular in the social media world, it was a debatable decision,” concluded Karthik.