Would still rule Sachin out if I had to make ‘that’ decision today, states Ian Gould
Umpire Ian Gould revealed that he was 100% confident that Sachin was out in the SF against Pakistan in 2011, and stated that he would give the Indian out once again if he made the decision again today. After being ruled out on-field, Sachin challenged the LBW call and overturned the decision.
There are few India-Pakistan contests which are not marred by controversy and the semi-final between the two teams in the 2011 World Cup was no different. The moment of controversy occurred in the 11th over, when off-spinner Saeed Ajmal trapped Sachin in front of the stumps - or at least it looked so to the naked eye - after which the Master Blaster was ruled out by on-field umpire Ian Gould.
After consulting with his partner Gautam Gambhir, Sachin challenged the call and remarkably, ball-tracker projected the ball to miss leg-stump, a result of which the decision was overturned.
Umpire Gould expressed his disbelief over the Hawk-Eye projection and stated that if he were to make the decision today, he would still rule Sachin out.
“When I gave him out at Mohali, I’m thinking this is out. I will sit here and guarantee you, if I see it again, I’d still give it out, simple as that,” Gould BBC 5 Live Sport, reported New Indian Express.
“He talked to Gambhir and looked like he was going to walk out, and I’m thinking thank God for that, then he spun on his heels and made that T sign and the world stopped.
“Eventually, (third umpire) Billy Bowden told me ‘It’s missing leg, I need you to change your decision.’ Well, no disrespect to him, but I was watching on a 90-foot screen showing me it was missing leg by an inch so I didn’t really need his analysis.”
Recalling the decision, Gould revealed how he gave the batsman out after a quicker delivery from Ajmal hit the pads, and insisted that there was no way that it could have been ‘not out’.
“All I saw was a quicker ball from Ajmal and it thudded into the pads and went to square leg. It was just right, he’s out. Sorry, you’re out. I don’t care who you are, Sachin or anybody, you’re out.”
Eventually, Sachin went on to score 85 runs as India won the game by 29 runs.