England are locking horns with India in the fourth Test of the five-match Test series. The first day of the Oval Test has been done and dusted. Both teams displayed high-quality cricket. England seamers tried their best to keep the Indians in check in the first innings.
They executed their plans to perfection and reaped rewards for their performances. Chris Woakes was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts as he took 4 wickets. On the other hand, Shardul Thakur played one heck of a knock as he scored a quickfire 57 off 36 balls with the help of 7 fours and 3 sixes.
Virat Kohli scored a brilliant half-century including 8 fours. India were all out for 191 in the first innings. In reply, England batsmen lost control during the game as the hosts lost 3 wickets on Day 1. England ended the first day with 55/3. Jasprit Bumrah got rid of Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed whereas Umesh Yadav dismissed Joe Root.
Haseeb Hameed takes guard outside popping crease; Virat Kohli unhappy
Apart from the contest between the two good teams, an incident drew the attention of the cricket fraternity. England’s Test opener Haseeb Hameed marked guard way too far from the crease at The Oval. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli was not pleased with the batsman guarding near the protected area or danger area.
The skipper complained to the on-field umpire regarding the same. During the third Test, India’s young wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant was asked to change his batting stance due to the same reason.
As per the cricket laws, a batter can’t mark or take guard near the protected area, which is 5 feet from the crease. According to Law 41 – Unfair play, the striker cannot mark the guard or take a stance in the protected area or so close to the protected area that frequent encroachment is inevitable.
Upon observing Hameed’s activity on the pitch, Harsha Bhogle gave an insight on the law on air. The renowned commentator said the batsman usually marks the guard near the crease.
Meanwhile, another commentator, Ajay Jadeja said, “Yead you do (on marking guard near the crease) because that’s where the batsman generally standing. I think Rishabh Pant is an odd one and here Haseeb tried to make a mark and stand way down the pitch to cut the swing.”
What is your take on batsmen marking their guard perilously close to the forbidden area of the pitch?
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