I don't know why there can't be an ‘I don't know’ call for the umpire: Virat Kohli hits out at soft signal decision

India skipper quizzed the theory of conclusive evidence required to reverse a soft signal given by the on-field umpires. During the first innings of the fourth T20I, a couple of decisions sparked instant controversy when the third umpire decided to go with the soft signal. The dismissal of Surykumar Yadav was one of them. 

After notching up his maiden half-century, Suryakumar’s stay at the crease was cut short by Sam Curran. The latter saw the right-handed batsman going down on one knee, and bowled a daisy off-cutter. The lack of pace on the ball did not allow Suryakumar to get hold of it. Dawid Malan, who was patrolling near the fine-leg region, ended up taking the catch. 

Malan claimed that he had taken the catch cleanly. The on-field umpires decided to give the soft-signal ‘out’ before going back to the third umpire. However, the replays suggested that the ball had clearly touched the ground. After taking a look at several frames of replays, the third umpire Virender Sharma stuck to the on-field umpire’s decision, claiming that there was no conclusive evidence to overturn the decision. 

On being asked about the soft signal saga, Virat Kohli said that these decisions change the whole course of the game. He suggested that the rules should be framed simpler so that the teams don't suffer in the high-profile games.

“There was an instance in the Test series when Jinx (Ajinkya Rahane) caught the ball and wasn't sure. When there's a half-and-half effort, the soft signal becomes more important. I don't know why there cannot be a sort of "I don't know" call for the umpire as well. Why does it have to be a conclusive one? Because then that [dictates] the whole decision completely. Similar to the argument we have about the umpire's call as well. You want these things ironed out to keep the game linear. But we want clarity on the field.” - Kohli stated at the post-match presentation.

To make matters worse, another decision raised many eyebrows. Washington Sundar played an uppercut which went straight to the fielder at the third man position. The replays showed that Adil Rashid’s foot had touched the boundary cushion. Interestingly, the third umpire yet again stayed with the on-field umpire’s decision.