Angkrish Raghuvanshi's Obstructing the Field controversy: Anil Chaudhary explains in detail, terms it ‘opinion call’

Angkrish Raghuvanshi's dismissal for 'Obstructing the field' during Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) has been the talk of the town in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). The incident took place in the fifth over of the KKR innings after LSG skipper Rishabh Pant opted to bowl first after winning the toss at Ekana Stadium.

On the final ball of the fifth over from Prince Yadav, Raghuvanshi nudged one towards mid-on and set off for a run. However, the Mumbai lad was turned back by Cameron Green. Raghuvanshi, who was running in the danger zone on the pitch, took a U-turn on the right side to return back and dived to return to his crease. While doing so, Mohammed Shami's throw hit Raghuvanshi and the LSG bowler appealed for obstructing the field.

Third umpire Rohan Pandit accepted Shami's appeal and ruled Raghuvanshi out, a decision that took everyone by surprise. KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar was seen arguing with the fourth umpire near the team dugout as Raghuvanshi threw his helmet in frustration.

Former ICC Elite Panel umpire Anil Choudhary, termed Pandit's decision an 'Opinion Call' and reiterated that it could have been handled a better way. According to Choudhary, Raghuvanshi was not at fault as he deliberately did not obstruct the field. Most importantly, the KKR batter wasn't even watching the ball when it hit him on his shoes.

“All the issues related to Raghuvanshi's obstructing the field are under discussion. There are three or four very important things. Number one: change in direction. A batsman isn't given out just for a change in direction. A willful change in direction, it must be deliberate,” Chaudhary explained in a video on his own Instagram account.

“Because there are many such cases where batsmen run straight with absolutely no change in direction, yet they still cause an obstruction. You have to look at the intent, you have to look at the impact, and you have to see whether it is deliberate or not,” added Choudhary, who last officiated an international match in 2023 between India and Australia.

"The batsman ran, stopped, and then turned; he went in the other direction with that same momentum, and a batsman has very little time. It is not possible for a batsman to run in a perfectly drawn straight line, and when a batsman plays straight, he often watches the ball,” he said.

Choudhary stated that if watched in real-time, one can have a slightly different opinion on raghuvanshi's dismissal and he personally felt it a "not out". “When he dived into the crease to make his ground, he was not looking at the ball. I feel that it is always beneficial to look at 'obstructing the field' in real-time. If you watch it in a replay, you might feel that it is [obstruction], but if you watch it in real-time, you can form a slightly better opinion. It is an opinion call. I personally felt 'not out' was a better call,” said Chaudhary.