Rohit Sharma fined 50% of match fee for showing dissent

Mumbai Indians batsman fined for arguing with the umpire

Rohit Sharma was unhappy when the umpire did not call a wide in the final over

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has been fined 50% of his match fee for showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during their IPL encounter against Rising Pune Supergiant in Mumbai.

The incident happened at the Wankhede Stadium last night when Mumbai needed 17 in the last over bowled by Jaydev Unadkat while chasing 161 to win.

In the first delivery, Ben Stokes took a brilliant catch in the deep to pack off Hardik Pandya, while the second was heaved over long-on for a six by Rohit.

Having seen Rohit shuffle across the stumps, Unadkat pushed the third delivery of the over wide and Rohit, realising that the ball was veering away from the guideline for wide deliveries, left it alone.

But umpire S Ravi didn’t call it a wide. Disappointed with the decision, Rohit walked up to the umpire and protested angrily even as the square-leg umpire A Nand Kishore intervened. Needing 11 off three balls, Rohit skied the fourth ball and was caught-and-bowled by Unadkat for a 39-ball 58 as Mumbai went down by three runs.

“Mr Sharma admitted to the Level 1 offence 2.1.5 of the IPL Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials. This is Mr Sharma’s second Level 1 offence this season,” an IPL release said.

“For Level 1 breaches of the IPL Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding.”

Mumbai offspinner Harbhajan Singh today said his captain Rohit didn’t misbehave with the official and was only trying to clarify rules.

“The ball was too far outside, to be honest, but I don’t really know whether it was wide or not,” Harbhajan told reporters at the post match conference.

“If both the batsman’s leg moves, then bowler should get the margin, but Rohit’s one leg had moved and as per me it should have been a wide. But we have to move on with the umpire’s decision and they played better than us and it was great game of cricket.

“He (Rohit) wanted to check what is the rule then, where he needs to stand, he did not shout at the umpire and asked him why did he not call a wide, he was asking where should I stand so that it is called a wide, if the bowl so outside, the more you move, the bowler will get the margin,” he explained.