Easwaran suffers the most unusual run out in Ranji Trophy after he strayed out of his crease to get drinks.
Bengal’s Abhimanyu Easwaran run out after leaving crease to get drinks.
On Thursday, Bengal skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran was run out after leaving the crease to fetch some water, thinking the ball was dead. This was an unpleasant and somewhat strange dismissal.
The incident happened against Services in the Ranji Trophy’s sixth round. Before a brief lack of judgement, Easwaran, who was hitting fluently on 81, appeared headed for his 28th first-class century.
Bengal’s Sudip Chatterjee pushed a full-length delivery straight back at Aditya Kumar in the last ball of the 41st over. Easwaran left the crease and began to move in the direction of the pavilion, assuming the over was over and drinks had been called. He wasn’t attempting to gain an advantage or sneak a run.
Nevertheless, the ball was diverted onto the stumps after brushing Aditya’s fingers. Easwaran was already stranded by that point, and after Services appealed, the on-field umpires transferred the call to the third umpire, who ultimately declared the hitter out.
Following the game, Easwaran acknowledged his error and rejected the idea that the opposition ought to have called him back.
“The innings was going very well, but the mistake I made surprised even me,” he said. “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.”
When asked if the event was comparable to the notorious run-out between India and Ian Bell in 2011, Bengal’s coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla had the same opinion. Before the tea break in the Trent Bridge Test, Bell had been run out under the assumption that the ball was dead. But India withdrew their plea as England’s captain Andrew Strauss intervened, and Bell continued his innings after the interval.
“They may look similar, but you cannot compare the two directly,” Shukla said. “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.”