Controversy erupted on Day 2 of the second Test between West Indies and India in Trinidad when Ravindra Jadeja‘s dismissal became the focal point of debate due to a mix-up with UltraEdge during the Decision Review System (DRS) process. The incident unfolded on the fifth ball of the 104th over bowled by pacer Kemar Roach.
As Jadeja attempted to drive a ball on the fifth stump, he inadvertently edged it to wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva, who quickly appealed for a catch. However, the on-field umpire, Marais Erasmus, seemed unconvinced and ruled it not out. Nevertheless, the West Indies team decided to go for a review.
TV umpire Michael Gough carefully reviewed the entire sequence of events and, upon observing that the ball was close to the bat, requested the UltraEdge technology to determine whether there was an edge. Unfortunately, a mix-up occurred during the presentation of the visuals. Initially, the incorrect image was shown, indicating that Jadeja played the ball away from his body, leading to a faint nick being detected on the UltraEdge.
As a result, the third umpire made the decision to dismiss Jadeja, who was batting at 61 runs, much to the disappointment of the Indian team. However, during the innings break, commentator Daren Ganga clarified the situation. He presented the actual footage of the delivery, including the correct UltraEdge visuals, which demonstrated that Jadeja had indeed nicked the ball. This time, the spikes were more pronounced, confirming that the correct decision was made.
Ganga stated, “This is the right image, and the correct decision was taken in the end. That’s the most important thing. To set the record straight, it’s not the fault of the umpire or the system. It’s just a glitch.”
Despite the controversy, the match witnessed some outstanding performances. Virat Kohli, in his 500th international game, played a sensational knock, scoring his 29th Test century, contributing 121 runs off 206 balls with 11 boundaries. Jadeja’s supporting role was instrumental in India’s total of 438, where he scored 61 runs off 152 deliveries, including 5 fours. Ravichandran Ashwin also played a crucial innings of 56 runs.
In response to India’s score, West Indies got off to a solid start with a partnership of 71 runs between Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul. However, Jadeja broke the opening stand by dismissing Chanderpaul Jr. for 33. At the end of the second day’s play, West Indies reached 86/1, with Brathwaite (37 not out) and Kirk McKenzie (14 not out) at the crease.
