On Tuesday, India took on Sri Lanka in their second fixture of the Super Four round of the 2023 Asia Cup.
The Men in Blue batted first and were bowled out for 213 on a turning track with all 10 wickets falling to spin. Dunith Wellalage and Charith Asalanka took five and four wickets respectively while Rohit Sharma top-scored with 53.
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In reply, Sri Lanka could only manage 172 as Kuldeep Yadav picked up from where he left off against Pakistan, following up his five-wicket haul with four more here. Wellalage was the lone warrior towards the end, making 42 not out from No 8.
During the Indian innings, however, there was an incident involving Ishan Kishan that provoked a bit of discussion.
Did Ishan Kishan obstruct the field against Sri Lanka?
As seen in the following clip, in the 25th over, Ishan Kishan caught a throw from fielder Sadeera Samarawickrama before passing it back to the bowler.
Spirit of cricket! Sri Lanka didn't appeal when Ishan Kishan could have been given out obstructing the field. Dasun Shanaka is a gem, this nation is something else 🇱🇰♥️ #AsiaCup2023 #INDvSL #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/nG2KZybRUX
— Shahid Akhtar (@rolex9p) September 12, 2023
Many fans felt that Sri Lanka could and should have appealed for Kishan to be out obstructing the field in this case.
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As per the MCC's Laws of Cricket, Law 37.2 states that batters cannot be given out obstructing the field if the obstruction is accidental, in made in order to avoid injury or is made to lawfully guard one's wicket.
Sri Lanka were well within their rights to appeal for a dismissal, but in all likelihood the umpires would have ruled that Kishan was attempting to avoid injury, given the speed and trajectory of the ball. The raised hands in apology from the fielder Samarawickrama and the captain Shanaka also suggests that they thought the same and therefore an appeal would be futile.
In any case, if Kishan had moved out of the way rather than catching the ball, he would not have even opened himself up to the possibility of this dismissal.
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