WPL | Twitter in splits as Taniya substitutes helmets for gloves to spurn golden run-out opportunity
Luck only takes one so far in sports, a lesson Taniya Bhatia learned the hard way on Sunday as Lady Fortune dealt her a cruel hand to make worse a sloppy day behind the stumps. The keeper's fumble made the stumps light up for a run-out but her helmet intervened to let Sophie Devine get away with it.
Royal Challengers Bangalore were tasked with chasing a challenging target of 182 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium courtesy of Jemimah Rodrigues' swashbuckling half-century in the first innings. Even though the visitors kept faltering with the bat, Delhi Capitals failed to punish the mistakes as they let catches, stumpings, and run-outs slip at an alarming frequency. However, the side seemed to have finally got it right at a crucial juncture of the game when Sophie Devine made a fatal mistake in the 13th over but replays soon revealed the hilarious reality of the sequence of events.
Devine pushed a Radha Yadav delivery gently to the offside and set off for a quick single but Richa Ghosh correctly concurred there was no run for the taking and the Kiwi was left stranded in the middle of the pitch. Skipper Meg Lanning executed her role to perfection as she cleanly collected the Kookaburra and flung an accurate throw towards Taniya Bhatia who fumbled a routine grab but made the stumps light up all the same. The wicket-keeper immediately set off in celebration with her team, claiming the white rock had hit the stumps and not her gloves while the replays loaded up for the third-umpire. The big screen showed that while the ball had indeed set off the stump lights for a brief second after popping out from the gloves, the scuffed impact meant that the bails had not left the groove. However, just as the lights went off, Bhatia had excitedly surged forward thus causing her helmet to clatter into the poles and remove the bails for good.
The third-umpire hesitated little to signal not out and an embarrassed Taniya went back to her position behind the stumps but Twitterati was all ready to begin a meme barrage.
Superb stumping! :]
— Grahman (@Grahman326048) March 10, 2024
What a moment!
Stumping missed
— Jai (@_Jaikaal) March 10, 2024
Not happy!
Wicketkeeping has never looked this hard as a job as much as Taniya Bhatia is proving it to be. Absolute Low.
— Fourth Stump (@aentartainment) March 10, 2024
She also dropped/missed an above-head catch in the last match...while standing at the stumps :/
All this when she is playing as a specialist keeper.
It happens!
Taniya Bhatia has one job to do & she can't even do that properly.
— Vipul Ghatol 🇮🇳 (@Vipul_Espeaks) March 10, 2024
Specialist WK
Taniya Bhatia ,
— FAMS (@killjoy9981) March 10, 2024
Come to bat at no 10, can’t bat ,
Plays as specialist WK, can’t do that job properly also
Blunder!
Taniya Bhatia 😂😂😂
— Vinesh Bhai (@vlp1994) March 10, 2024
Absolute mockery!
Taniya Bhatia what 🤡 wicket keeper 🤢#WPL2024#DCvRCB
— CaroMarin (@CarolinamarinFD) March 10, 2024
Go Richa!
Devine & Richa turning it up for RCB in style. #TATAWPLonJioCinema #wpl
— Hariom Jha (@Hjtalkscricket) March 10, 2024
Just RCB things
Ellyse Perry run out
— mahi (@mahi57576) March 10, 2024
Just RCB things :#WPL #TATAIPL2024 #TATAWPLonJioCinema #jiocinema @katyperry #parry #perry pic.twitter.com/06FeE7kJ2U
Hope so!
RCB can win from now also just keep playing like this
— Kohli.stanner (@Ashutos16159885) March 10, 2024
The most Successful run chase is coming today!#RCB #WPL