Why Was Abhishek Sharma Denied a Half-Century After the Match?
The number one T20I batsman, Abhishek Sharma, scored a half-century for the Indian team in the first T20I. But a few hours after the game, it has been confirmed that he finished scoring 49 runs only. This happened due to a late ruling, which pulled off a run due to a leg bye.
The Indian team suffered a terrible loss to Ireland in the first T20I at Belfast. That loss was something which no Indian fan expected. But still, various fans were happy that they got to witness Abhishek Sharma, the number one T20I batsman, scoring a half-century for the Indian team.
Now, the fans have been denied that happiness also. Abhishek Sharma's official score in the first T20I has been updated to 49 runs off 20 balls instead of a half-century in 20 balls. During the second over of the game, he was able to push the ball away and take a single on the last delivery.
At that time, the ball was considered as a legal single and the runs for the same were given to Abhishek Sharma. However, a late ruling came out in the game against Ireland, which confirms that the single Abhishek Sharma took was a leg bye. Due to this reason, his official score in the game turns out to be 49 runs off 20 balls.
Our Take
Abhishek Sharma surely came out as the lone warrior for the Indian team. For his impressive performances, he did deserve a half-century, and even if it was a leg bye, the umpiring must have been on-time to let him know about the same. It must be a bit hurting for the number one T20I batsman that he missed out on a half-century and his team also lost the game.