In one of the most peculiar dismissals in the Ranji Trophy match on Thursday, Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran was run out while idly leaving his crease for drinks. Batting on 81, Easwaran’s innings terminated due to a rare break in concentration.
The incident took place during Bengal’s Ranji Trophy round six match against Services at Kalyani Stadium. Easwaran and Sudip Chatterjee were at the crease and Bengal looked in a good space. Easwaran, chasing his 28th first-class century, seemed to have it completely under control before an extraordinary incident just before the drinks interval.
The penultimate delivery of the 41st over was a fuller-length ball by Services bowler Aditya Kumar, which Chatterjee drove straight back at him. Thinking the over was done and that ball would be a dead one, Easwaran instantly stepped out of his crease, walking forward to take a sip of water.
As Aditya Kumar attempted to collect the return, the ball grazed his fingers before deflecting onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Easwaran was already out of his crease. Even the bowler, who was initially oblivious of what had happened, became aware of the situation after the stumps were smashed. Services tea filed an appeal, and the on-field umpires referred the verdict higher. The third umpire, following the rules of the game, concluded Easwaran had run out.
It was entirely my fault: Abhimanyu Easwaran
Following the day’s play, Easwaran accepted full responsibility for the occurrence. He dismissed any dispute over the spirit of cricket, emphasizing that the blame was all his.
“The innings was going very well, but the mistake I made surprised even me. Some might feel the opposition could’ve called me back in the spirit of the game, but there was no question of that. It was entirely my fault. I thought the bowler had collected the ball and instinctively moved forward,” he said as quoted by ESPN.
Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla expressed similar sentiments and dismissed analogies to the iconic Ian Bell run-out incident during the 2011 Trent Bridge Test. Shukla stated that the circumstances were distinct and that Services were entirely within their rights to appeal.
“They may look similar, but you cannot compare the two directly. That was a different era and different circumstances. This was simply a mistake on the batter’s part. It doesn’t mean he lacks awareness; he is a senior player, but cricket can be unpredictable. While the opposition could have considered calling him back, but there is nothing wrong in their decision not to. Everything happened within the laws of the game,” Shukla said.
