 The third day of the second Test between India and England was filled with
some amazing cricket but it was the controversial run-out of Ian Bell that
it will be remembered for all throughout.
The incident occurred in what was going to be the last over before the end
of the second session of the third day's play. The ball was hit wards fine-leg
by Eoin Morgan and the batsmen had run three. By that time, the fielder, Praveen Kumar, thought that the ball had rolled over to the fence and threw it gently
back to the wicket-keeper.
Bell, who had reached the striker's end, where the wicket-keeper had the ball,
started to rush back towards the dressing room before realising that the ball
had not been signalled a boundary. The umpire had also not called over and nor
had he given the bowler's jersey back to the bowler.
The bails were whipped out by the fielder, Abhinav Mukund and the Indians appealed.
The on field umpires consulted amongst themselves and called the third umpire
to check whether the ball had rolled over the fence. When the replays were looked
at, there wasn't anything to tell that the boundary had been hit and the third
umpire declared it out.
A rather surprised Bell walked off in huff but the good news for the team was
that it was tea-time which allowed the captain and the coach of the English
side to speak to the Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Dhoni was asked
to review the appeal and withdraw it, which Dhoni did after having a chat about
it with his team-mates.
At the start of the third session, Bell and Morgan walked out to bat again, much
to the excitement of the English crowd who cheered at the decision. Bell went
on to score 159 and the English side ended the third day on 441 for six.
Earlier, the Indians had a golden opportunity to shut the English team out
of the game when they were 267 for four in reply to England's 221 all out. However,
a Stuart Broad hat-trick on the second day of the play meant that the side was
left with only a 67-run lead that allowed England to get away from the
Indians.
By the time the third day's play had ended, England were 374 runs ahead with four
of their wickets standing.
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