Twitter Reactions: Dinesh Karthik survives potential dismissal against Rajasthan Royals, courtesy third umpire decision

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Eliminator of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024), at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, on (Wednesday) May 22. RCB struggled to get going as Trent Boult bowled a tight spell upfront in the powerplay giving away just six runs in three overs. RR later on managed to pluck timely wickets and Dinesh Karthik entered the fray.

After getting hit for a six in the previous delivery, Avesh Khan had just made Rajat Patidar hole out to Riyan Parag. Karthik was facing the first delivery and Avesh bowled a fuller length that nipped in back. Karthik rushed to defend the ball crouching forward. The ball seemed to hit the pad plumb and the umpire raised his finger. The veteran decided to challenge the decision and the third umpire entered the scene. 

The replays showed a hint of spike when the ball passed the bat before hitting the pads. The third umpire preferred reversing the decision. But for many the point of concern was the spike popping up as the bat hit Karthik’s pad before the ball was closed to the bat. Even Sunil Gavaskar was livid with the decision and termed it game-changing if the wicket-keeper batter banked on it.

Karthik fails to capitalise on the lifeline

As it turned out, Karthik struggled to get going even after he got a lifeline from an unusual source. He scored just 11 runs in 13 deliveries with a lone boundary. He was eventually dismissed by Avesh himself bowling the crucial 19^th over of the innings. The Tamil-Nadu batter failed to time the slap off a short ball and Yashasvi Jaiswal did the honours at the extra cover.  

Here's how 'X' users reacted to the dismissal fiasco: