Former India captain and commentator Sunil Gavaskar raised questions regarding Navdeep Saini's dangerous beamer at Marcus Stoinis in an ugly incident in the IPL in Dubai on Monday.
A high full toss by the Royal Challengers Bangalore fast bowler, which was clocked at 143kph on the TV speedgun, hit Stoinis on the knuckle of his left-hand. It was called a no ball.
Delhi Capitals batsman Stoinis, who had hit Saini for a six and four off the preceding two balls, was visibly angered, and required treatment to his fingers.
Gavaskar, who was on commentary at the time, questioned whether it had been an accident.
“It was quick,” Gavaskar said.
“Look at that. You can tell me anything, but whatever you say, a yorker does not go that high.
“If you bowl a fuller yorker, it might go by the knee. At best it would go above the midriff. Anything over that, no way.
“No way you can tell me that has slipped.”
Stoinis was charged up by the incident. He was already scoring at a good rate at that point, and he proceeded to reach 53 not out from 26 balls to help Delhi to 194 for four from their 20 overs.
Saini has previously bowled a chest-high full toss that hit Rajasthan Royals batsman Rahul Tewatia in their last match in Abu Dhabi.
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Delhi v Kolkata player ratings
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DELHI CAPITALS RATINGS: Prithvi Shaw – 8. Got the Delhi effort off to a rapid start with four sixes in his innings of 66 off 41. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Shikhar Dhawan – 6. Put Narine into the road twice, but was unable to push on again, after getting a start for the third innings in a row. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Shreyas Iyer – 9. Lots of players have scored big in Sharjah. Few have done it with such elegance. The captain made 88 not out in 38 balls. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Rishabh Pant – 8. Just the sort of situation he revels in. He powered 38 from 17 balls including a huge six into the net area. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Shimron Hetmyer – 6. Wasted three balls, swishing away and not scoring in the last over. Got one six away at least. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Marcus Stoinis – 5. Had to go pedal to the metal straight away, but fell for one after just failing to get enough elevation on a leg glance. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Ravichandran Ashwin – 4. Two overs for 26 on his return to the side, and was lax in the field, too. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Kagiso Rabada – 4. Did not miss by much, but it was enough for Morgan to go to town on his death-overs bowling. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Anrich Nortje – 9. Ubiquitous in the field, with two fine boundary stops. Caught Russell. Owned Narine with the ball. Three wickets in all. Excellent display. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Amith Mishra – 8. The wise old leg-spinner showed a bit of canniness can go a long way, even on a featherbed like Sharjah. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Harshal Patel – 7. Erratic use of slower balls to start and finish his evening, but he did dismiss Rana and Karthik in successive deliveries. Sportzpics for BCCI -
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS RATINGS: Shubman Gill – 6. Held a good boundary catch but his side needed him to extend his fine run with the bat, too. He went for 28 off 22. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Sunil Narine – 2. An evening to forget. Two expensive overs, struggled in the field, backed away and was clean bowled by Nortje. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Nitish Rana – 7. Raged against the inevitable with 58 off 35 only to hole out to Harshal Patel’s bowling. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Andre Russell – 7. Outstanding bowling, with two for 29 off his four overs, and a mere seven off the last. Fell to a fine catch by Nortje when he batted. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Dinesh Karthik – 4. It feels awkward having arguably the world’s best limited-overs captain in the ranks while Karthik continues to dither. No runs, either. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Eoin Morgan – 8. Hit the first ball he faced for six. The equation seemed impossible at that point, but his 18-ball 44 gave them some belief. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Pat Cummins - 5. Even he could not stem the flow of runs. Was let down by his fielders on occasions – but he lapsed in that regard at one point, too. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Rahul Tripathi – 8. What is it about Rahul Ts and lost causes in Sharjah? Blazed away like his namesake Tewatia a few days earlier, but he just fell short. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Kamlesh Nagarkoti – 5. Had the wicket of Shaw to show for his efforts, but the dimensions of the ground and the flat track made it difficult for him. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Shivam Mavi – 4. A reminder that cricket is a great leveller. So impressive last time out, but found the going predictably tough in Sharjah. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Varun Chakravarthy – 6. One for 49 might not sound like great shakes, but he impressed at the start – then suffered from having to bowl the 19th over. Sportzpics for BCCI
