Umpires should keep their eyes open, this is not club cricket, says Kohli, Rohit agrees
Bangalore: An angry Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli came down heavily on ICC Elite Panel Umpire S Ravi after the final delivery of the match bowled by Mumbai Indians' Lasith Malinga turned out to be a 'no-ball', which was not awarded to the losing team.
More importantly, winning captain Rohit Sharma was also critical of umpiring standard during the match.
"We are playing at the IPL level. It's not club level, the umpires should have their eyes open. That was a big no-ball. That is a ridiculous call (last ball). If it is a game of margins, I don't know what is happening. They should have been more sharp and careful out there," a livid Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Incidentally, Ravi is the only Indian umpire in ICC's Elite Panel for a number of years now as none of the others have been good enough to be elevated.
Needing 7 to win and six to take it to Super Over, Malinga's full toss yielded only one run but the big screen replay showed that the bowler had overstepped and a free hit should have been awarded.
Had it been a free-hit, AB de Villiers batting on 70 would have faced with five needed to win.
"We should have done a better job with the ball after they were seven down. The last few overs were brutal for us. Bit of a mistake from me to take Bumrah on at that time. Bumrah makes a hell of a difference in any team," the RCB skipper praised his India teammate.
Winning captain Rohit also voiced his concerns about umpiring.
"Honestly, I just go to know after crossing the rope that it was a no-ball. These kind of mistakes aren't good for the game. The over before that Bumrah bowled, a ball which wasn't a wide but it was called," Rohit referred to a decision given by other umpire C Nandan.
"Anything over 180 you can fight with. It wasn't a safe score but we had the bowlers to get the job done. Even though Virat and AB had a partnership going, we didn't panic. I thought we stuck to our plans, it was a great effort by the bowlers. Should have got 200 with the bat on this pitch."
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Waqf Bill anti-secular, will snatch rights of Muslims: Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday described the Waqf (Amendment) Bill as “anti-secular”, claiming that it would snatch the rights of Muslims.
Banerjee, speaking in the assembly, also said the Centre did not consult with states over the matter.
“The bill is anti-federal and anti-secular; it is a deliberate attempt to malign a particular section. It will snatch the rights of Muslims... The Centre did not consult with us on the Waqf Bill,” she said.
The chief minister added that “if any religion was attacked”, she would wholeheartedly condemn it.
Opposition parties have stridently criticised the amendments proposed by the bill in the existing Waqf Act, alleging that they violate the religious rights of Muslims.
The ruling BJP has asserted that the amendments will bring transparency in the functioning of the Waqf boards and make them accountable.
A parliamentary committee has been constituted to scrutinise the contentious bill.
