They say that a cat has nine lives, but Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar had five during the semi-final clash against Pakistan in the 2011 ODI World Cup.
Pakistan fielders kept dropping catches before their captain Shahid Afridi finally held one while Sachin already scoring 85.
Spinner Saeed Ajmal caught Tendulkar in front of the stumps, as the latter missed a straighter one. Sachin looked plumbed by all means, as standing umpire, Ian Gould decided to raise his finger.
However, after Sachin decided to review Gould’s decision, the verdict was overturned as the ball appeared to miss the leg stump.
The review befuddled many as the ball pitched in line and did not deviate enough after landing, to miss the leg stump.
Recently, Gould reflected on the decision made nine years back and stated that he would still give Tendulkar out, irrespective of the replays.
“When I gave him out at Mohali, I think this is out. I will sit here and guarantee you, if I see it again, I’d still give it out, simple as that. He talked to Gambhir and looked like he was going to walk out, and I’m thinking thank God for that, then he spun on his heels and made that T sign and the world stopped,” Gould told BBC 5 Live Sport.
For several years, BCCI was not open to including DRS in bilateral ties due to inefficacies of the technology. The Indian board claimed that the technology is not 100% accurate to be adopted in all international games.
“Eventually, (third umpire) Billy Bowden told me ‘It’s missing leg, I need you to change your decision.’ Well, no disrespect to him, but I was watching on a 90-foot screen showing me it was missing leg by an inch so I didn’t really need his analysis,” he added.
Sachin’s 85 runs helped India win the high-octane clash at Mohali as the Men in Blue progressed into the finals of the coveted tournament.
Tendulkar was the lone warrior during India’s bid to post a challenging total. A late flurry from Suresh Raina also helped India cross 270.
“All I saw was a quicker ball from Ajmal and it thudded into the pads and went to square leg. It was just right, he’s out. Sorry, you’re out. I don’t care who you are, Sachin or anybody, you’re out. I was 110% confident when the referral was made that the batsman was out,” concluded Gould.
