RR captain Sanju Samson has said that the umpire Nitin Menon made his decision very clear regarding the Obed McCoy high full toss against DC on April 22 and he struck to it. The decision brought out the first major controversy in IPL 2022 as Rishabh Pant called his batters to return after that.
Sanju Samson did not have much say about the controversial call made by the on-field umpire Nitin Menon during Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) IPL 2022 fixture against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Friday (April 22). The DC required 24 off the final four balls to chase down the target of 223, and Rovman Powell was on strike after smashing two back-to-back sixes in the first two balls. Obed McCoy then bowled the third ball around the waist height, which Powell smacked over deep mid-wicket.
However, the replay showed it could be called no ball as well. But Menon remained unmoved and gave that a legal delivery. After his decision, Rishabh Pant was so furious that he asked his batters to return, and later on, told batting coach Pravin Amre to have a chat with on-field umpires.
Samson, however, was not too vocal about the controversy. He said as things happened in the middle, and opined that the on-field umpire gave the decision what he thought was right. “It went for a six, it was a full toss and the umpire gave it a normal ball. But the batsman wanted it as a no-ball. I think the umpire made his decision very clear and stuck to it,” Samson said at the post-match conference.
Further, Samson said they all wanted to keep McCoy without pressure after the latter was three towering sixes. It helped well as the West Indian seamer conceded just two off the last three balls to inspire the RR to a 15-run win.
“We wanted to be around him (McCoy) and wanted to put a smile on his face. Not easy for a bowler after conceding three sixes. We wanted to change the plan so we took our time, to give the bowler a breather,” Samson added.
With five wins in seven matches, the RR are at the top of the points table. They will next play against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday (April 26) at MCA Stadium, Pune.
