“Warner Expresses Anger as Dinesh Karthik Avoids ‘Obstructing the Field’ Dismissal”

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli had said before the match that a score of 160 on a slow Delhi track would be a good one. However, RCB went on to score 181 for four against Delhi Capitals in a thrilling encounter on Saturday. While Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli provided a promising start, Mitchell Marsh ended their partnership and sent back compatriot Glenn Maxwell for a golden duck. RCB’s total was rescued by Mahipal Lomror’s blistering knock of 54 runs off 29 balls, which included six fours and three sixes.

During the innings, Dinesh Karthik had a close call with a rare “obstructing the field” dismissal. In the 19th over, Mukesh Kumar bowled a perfect yorker to Lomror. The batter dug it out, and the ball slowly rolled towards the bowler. Meanwhile, an overeager Karthik had made his way past the halfway line for a single, despite Lomror not calling for it. It was much later when Lomror signaled for no single that Karthik realized his mistake and immediately turned to sprint his way back.

Mukesh had collected the ball by then but erred in making a direct hit as Karthik ran straight in front of the stumps, blocking the view of the bowler. Warner, who had stationed himself at long on, was left fuming at Karthik as he engaged in an animated talk, where the RCB batter was seen convincing that it wasn’t what he felt. However, Delhi did not appeal for ‘obstructing the field’ dismissal against Karthik, and the DC skipper was later seen hurling a mouthful at him.

Karthik was eventually dismissed by Khaleel Ahmed a few deliveries later while attempting to clear the long-off boundary. Warner was the man to stop his effort, and Karthik went back scoring 11 off 9.

When asked about RCB’s total, Kohli praised Lomror’s knock that shifted the momentum in their favour. “160 was going to be a good score, Lomror came in and changed the game, he shifted the game (momentum) towards us. I was targeting the last three overs, but I think Dinesh and Anuj did a good job. The younger guys playing like this gives me, Faf and Maxi a lot of confidence. It’s a great sign for the team; it was an amazing knock by him tonight,” said Kohli at the end of the innings.

While RCB won the match, Delhi Capitals could have gotten a few extra runs off the scoreboard from RCB if they had appealed for an “obstructing the field” dismissal against Karthik. Lomror’s knock was a game-changer and the younger RCB players’ performances give the team a lot of confidence.