What’s the story?
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma has been fined 50% of his match fee for showing dissent at the decision of the umpire during his side’s game against the Rising Pune Supergiant on Monday.
On being dismissed caught and bowled by Jaydev Unadkat in the final over the innings, the 30-year-old lost control of his emotions on his way back, arguing with the umpire over a contentious wide-call that was ruled against his side a ball before he fell for a well-made 58.
Post the game, the right-hander admitted to the Level 1 offence 2.1.5 of the IPL Code of Conduct and was deducted half his match fee. He is the first player to be fined this season.
In case you didn’t know...
When the final over the innings began, the two-time champions needed 17 runs to win. Rohit then brought the target down to 11 from 4 balls with a six, and Mumbai seemed to be in the driver's seat at that time. That's when disaster struck for the home team; the third delivery from Unadkat was not called wide despite the batsman deeming it to be going well past the line and letting it go.
The following delivery the skipper got out, and he was not one bit happy over the call made on the previous ball. Mitchell McCleneghan was then run-out off the next ball, leaving Harbhajan Singh with all to do. Even though he smashed a six off the last ball, the hosts fell short by 2 runs.
The heart of the matter
This is not the first time that Rohit has been under fire for his on-field activities. During yet another home game, this time against the Kolkata Knight Riders, he was found guilty for showing dissent against an umpire’s decision after the adjudicator had ruled him out lbw. Replays indicated that there was an inside-edge, but the umpire gave the batsman out in real time.
He was reprimanded for his behaviour on that occasion too.
Extra Cover: IPL 2017: Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma admits to Level 1 offense for breaching IPL code of conduct
What’s next?
The 30-year-old must be careful to not repeat the mistake, as the next step that he may face is a suspension for a game or two which would be a huge blow for his side. He has never been suspended from any game in the past and for his team's sake, he would want to avoid that fate in this season.
Author’s take
While emotions can run riot in an IPL game, a player as experienced as Rohit should have kept them under check and not openly displayed his frustration. The right-hander is the captain of his side and such behaviour puts him in poor light in front of others.
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