The incident happened in the 19th over of the CSK innings, when SRH pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a yorker to Jadeja, who jammed it out towards the bowler.With Jadeja well outside his crease after playing the delivery, Bhuvi threw the ball back towards the stumps and it hit Jadeja on the back.
Jadeja was looking like trying to get out of the way of the throw, rather than getting in the way to obstruct it. But the on-field umpires decided to refer it upstairs. SRH captain Cummins then came forward and withdrew the appeal.
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Sent in to bat first, CSK struggled to set a formidable total, managing only 165/5 in their 20 overs. Shivam Dube’s brisk 45 off 24 balls and Ajinkya Rahane’s 35 off 30 balls were the main contributions, but the team faltered in the final five overs, adding just 37 runs.
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif raised questions about Cummins’ decision, stating, “Two questions to Pat Cummins on withdrawing the obstructing the field appeal against Jadeja. Was it a tactical call to let a struggling Jadeja be at the crease and keep Dhoni indoors? Would he have done the same if it was Virat Kohli at World T20?”
Despite the debate, Jadeja played a handy knock, remaining unbeaten with 31 off 23 balls, but the total was not competitive enough in the end.
In response to CSK’s total, SRH openers had a flying start to their chase, adding 46 runs in just 2.4 overs. Abhishek Sharma was brutal against the CSK’s new ball bowlers and scored a whirlwind 37 off 12 balls, hitting four sixes and three fours in his short stay.
After the initial onslaught, Aiden Markram (50 off 36) and Travis Head (31 off 24) added 60 runs for the second wicket to put SRH on course of the run chase. The hosts then completed the chase with 11 balls to spare and registered a commanding six wickets victory.
With two wins from four games, SRH jumped to fifth in the IPL standings, whereas CSK, who also have a similar record of two wins in four games, remain at third spot.
