Was Angkrish Raghuvanshi Out? Ex-Umpire Anil Chaudhary Explains

Angkrish Raghuvanshi was dismissed for “Obstructing the field” during Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The incident happened in the fifth over of KKR’s innings at Ekana Stadium. After LSG skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and chose to bowl first, Prince Yadav delivered the final ball of the over. Raghuvanshi hit the ball towards mid-on and started running. Cameron Green stopped him, and as Raghuvanshi turned back, Mohammed Shami’s throw hit him. LSG appealed for obstruction.

The third umpire upheld the appeal, ruling Raghuvanshi out. This decision surprised many, including KKR coach Abhishek Nayar, who argued with the fourth umpire. Former ICC Elite Panel umpire Anil Chaudhary called it an “Opinion Call” and said the dismissal could have been handled differently. He explained that Raghuvanshi did not deliberately obstruct the field, as he was not watching the ball when it hit him.

Chaudhary emphasized that a batsman is only out for obstruction if they intentionally change direction or cause interference. In this case, Raghuvanshi ran, stopped, and turned naturally without intent to block. Chaudhary also mentioned that replays can make such decisions seem clearer than they appear in real-time, where the call might differ.

He concluded that he personally felt the dismissal was “not out,” as Raghuvanshi was not watching the ball when it struck him. This highlights the complexity of obstruction calls and the importance of real-time judgment.