India all-rounder Hardik Pandya's bizarre dismissal in the first ODI against New Zealand led to an avoidable on-field moment between the two teams on Wednesday. Hardik was adjudged bowled in a rather questionable call from third umpire K N Anantha Padmanabhan.
After he missed a cut shot completely off medium pacer Daryl Mitchell, the bails came off and New Zealand appealed for a bowled dismissal.
New Zealand skipper and wicketkeeper Tom Latham's gloves were close to the stumps at the time of action and he did not know if he had dislodged the bails unintentionally or if the ball clipped the stumps.
The replays were far from conclusive but the third umpire ruled in favour of the visitors, forcing Hardik to depart.
Hardik's teammates too were not pleased with the call and when Latham got into the middle with New Zealand chasing 350, his habit of keeping his hands behind the wicket, dangerously close to the stumps was imitated by India keeper Ishan Kishan.
The Indians appealed for a stumping on the the first ball Latham faced of off-spinner Kuldeep Yadav as Kishan took the bails off in jest.
Latham was very much in the crease but Kishan went ahead with the appeal and that did not go down well with former India captain Sunil Gavaskar.
"Taking the bails off was fine but he should not have appealed," said Gavaskar on air. Like Kishan, Latham too was amused by the incident.
India Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
New Zealand Playing XI:
Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner
(Inputs from PTI)
