Umpiring Blunder Exposed In IND vs NZ 5th ODI As Wrong Batsman Takes Strike After Drinks Break

An unusual umpiring error came to light during the fifth and final ODI between India and New Zealand at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday, November 15. The mistake happened after the drinks break in India's innings, when the wrong batter took strike at the start of the 15th over.

Surprisingly, neither the on-field umpires nor the third umpire appeared to notice the error.

How Did The Umpiring Error Happen In IND vs NZ 5th ODI?

The incident took place during the 14th over of India's innings, which was bowled by Blair Tickner. Axar Patel was batting alongside Shreyas Iyer when he took a single off the final delivery of the over. As a result, Axar should have been at the striker's end when play resumed for the next over.

However, after the drinks break, it was Iyer who took strike against Tickner. This meant that the wrong batter faced the first delivery of the 15th over, while Axar was at the non-striker's end. The error went unnoticed by the match officials, and the game continued without any intervention.

According to the rules of cricket, when a batter takes a single off the final delivery of an over, the other batter must face the first delivery of the next over. This is because the batters change ends after completing the run, leaving the batter who took the single at the non-striker's end. Therefore, Axar should have faced Tickner when the 15th over began.

The drinks break did not change the batting order or the strike rotation from the previous over. The umpires were expected to ensure that the correct batter was ready to face the next delivery when play resumed. However, the mistake escaped the attention of all three umpires, raising questions about the officials' awareness during the match.