Rohit Sharma criticizes overturned decision in Rishabh Pant's case: 'Consistency is key in following the rules'

Rohit Sharma expressed his confusion over the decision to overturn a call during the post-match press conference, stating, "Honestly, I don't know. If we say something, it isn't accepted well. If there is no conclusive evidence, the decision has to stand with that of the on-field umpire. That's what I've been told. I don't know how the decision was overturned. The bat was clearly close to the pad."

Team India captain Rohit Sharma wasn't too pleased with the decision to overturn Rishabh Pant's not out call during the second innings of the final Test against New Zealand. Pant's dismissal all but confirmed India's defeat in the match, as his innings held the home team's hope to salvage some pride and avoid a clean sweep series defeat. India eventually faced a 0-3 series loss, facing a whitewash in a home three-Test series for a first time in their history.

“Honestly, I don't know. If we say something, it isn't accepted well. If there is no conclusive evidence, the decision has to stand with that of on-field umpire. That's what I've been told. I don't know how the decision was overturned. The bat was clearly close to the pad,” Rohit Sharma told in the post-match press conference.

“I don't know if it's the right thing for me to talk about. It is something for the umpires to think about. Have the same rules for every team, don't keep changing your mind. That dismissal was very crucial from our point of view. Rishabh was looking really good and it felt that he would take us through. But it was an unfortunate dismissal, and we were bowled out right after.”

Ajaz Patel claimed the crucial wicket of Pant after a tense review process that swung the momentum firmly in New Zealand’s favour. The dismissal came when Pant attempted to dance down the pitch, failing to reach the ball’s line, as the delivery turned inward and popped off his pad straight into keeper Tom Blundell’s gloves.

Ajaz and the New Zealand players went up in a loud appeal, but umpire Richard Illingworth was unmoved. Skipper Tom Latham, however, opted for the DRS after a brief discussion, sparking a dramatic sequence of replays.

UltraEdge revealed a faint murmur when the ball was near Pant’s bat, and despite Pant’s visible frustration, the third umpire Paul Reiffel overturned the on-field decision, concluding that Pant had indeed edged the ball. A visibly upset Pant engaged briefly with the umpires before finally walking off, visibly unconvinced by the verdict.

It appeared that Pant believed the noise was merely his bat brushing his pad, but Reiffel determined otherwise, a call that left the Indian camp disappointed.

Rishabh Pant's dismissal sealed India's fate in the match, as the side faced a narrow 25-run loss to concede its first-ever home series whitewash (3 matches or more).

In the 147-run chase, India were bowled out for just 121, exposing their batting frailties yet again.