Kohli calls for clarity as soft signal debate continues ahead of ODI series

The India captain continued to voice his displeasure with soft signals while also unveiling his squad options ahead of the three-match ODI series between India and England in Pune

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On Sunday (March 21), India and England arrived in Pune ahead of their three-match ODI series at the Maharashtra Stadium, leaving Ahmedabad, arguments surrounding the quality of the pitches, and, for England, some disappointing Test and T20I performances behind.

However, one debate which looks set to rumble on into the 50-over series and beyond is the merits of DRS and, in particular, umpire’s call.

During the fourth T20I, which India won by eight runs, Dawid Malan’s catch at deep square-leg to dismiss Suryakumar Yadav was the subject of nearly four minutes of analysis by third umpire, Virender Sharma. In real-time, the catch looked good and received a tentative finger raise before being referred upstairs. In super-slow mo, it was unclear if Malan dropped the ball or if it touched the ground. Inconclusive evidence, Yadav departed.

In the aftermath, Yadav’s dismissal has been discussed in forensic detail, with the practice of soft signals for catches labelled “nonsense” by Sky Sports commentator Mike Atherton.

And Kohli, who remarked on the incident in his post-match press conference on Thursday, remains unimpressed with both the ambiguity of umpire’s call and fielders influencing an umpire’s decision with their celebrations.

^{Suryakumar Yadav leaves the field after being given out during the fourth T20I}

"Umpire’s call is creating a lot of confusion," he said. "When you get bowled as a batsman, you don’t expect the ball to hit more than 50 per cent into the stumps to consider yourself out so when the ball has been shown as clipping the stumps, the bails are going to fall. I don’t think there should be any debate.

"If the ball’s clipping the stumps, it should be out whether you like it or nor and you lose the review. That’s how simple the game has to be: if it hits the stumps or if it’s missing the stumps, not how much it’s hitting.

"One more factor that needs to be considered is how a fielding team responds to a dismissal that’s claimed [and] is defining soft signals. You have to question what the spirit of the game is and what those guidelines are. If things like that happened with the India cricket team overseas, then you’d be talking about a completely different conversation about the spirit of the game.

"It’s a serious thing that needs to be considered because there’s a lot at stake in the future in big tournaments and you don’t want some grey areas to be the defining factor."

Turning his attention to the upcoming ODIs, Kohli insisted his side were fully focused on the 50-over format despite having a World Test Championship final and autumn’s T20 World Cup on the horizon.

"Scheduling is something that is not in our control," he said. "Every [international] game is important, every game has value and it’s an opportunity to represent your team and for us, that remains the sole focus."

India’s captain also confirmed his opening pair for the series - although after promising a Sharma-Rahul axis for the first T20 and then opting for Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul, this information should be taken with a pinch of salt.

"As far as the opening combination is concerned, Shikhar [Dhawan] and Rohit [Sharma] will definitely start," Kohli said. "When it comes to one-day cricket, I don’t think there’s any issues or doubts over Rohit or Shikhar opening together. They’ve been amazing for us in the past few years."

Continuing to discuss his squad, which is missing several key names including Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja, Kohli indicated uncapped trio Prasidh Krishna, Yadav and Krunal Pandya would get a game, stating: "There are a few younger players who are getting an opportunity in the one-day set-up for the first time so I’m really keen to see how they go about their skills against a very strong England side."

However, one discussion Kohli refused to be drawn into was England’s rotation policy and most notably, the lack of game time for his former Royal Challenger’s Bangalore teammate, Moeen Ali.

"I won’t judge anything – I’m not sure what the rotation policy says or if he was spoken to," Kohli said. "[Moeen] would have been a very strong addition for sure in the Test matches looking at how the pitch assisted spinners and in the T20s with him bringing a bit more balance and adding an extra spin option. But, it’s not something for me to worry about."

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