India respect umpire's decision but it was harsh: Jemimah on controversial call

T20 World Cup: India's star batter Jemimah Rodrigues addressed the controversial run-out decision during the team's opening match against New Zealand in the Women's T20 World Cup.

In Short

• Jemimah Rodrigues said the Indian players respected the umpires' decision
• Amelia Kerr was given not out despite being short of her crease
• New Zealand defeated India by 58 runs in Women's World Cup match

Star India batter Jemimah Rodrigues weighed in on the controversial run-out decision during the team's opening match against New Zealand in the Women's T20 World Cup. Jemimah said while the Indian players respected the umpires' decision to declare the ball dead, the ruling felt particularly harsh.

The incident occurred in the first innings when Harmanpreet Kaur executed a remarkable run-out to dismiss New Zealand's Amelia Kerr. Despite the clear dismissal, the umpires controversially recalled Kerr after a brief discussion, igniting a heated exchange between the Indian team and match officials. The situation led to a significant delay in the game as India's captain and coaches expressed their frustration with the decision.

“I was not there when the umpire gave the cap to Deepti. I mean, New Zealand were pretty sure that it was a double run and Amelia Kerr showed that the over was not called out. We all thought, okay, we got that run out," said Rodrigues in the post-match press conference. “Honestly, that’s not in our control, and we respect the decision of the umpire. It's a bit harsh when Amelia Kerr herself walked out because she knew she was out.”

Amelia Kerr played a length ball from Deepti Sharma towards long-off for a single and the New Zealand batters decided to attempt a second run. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur quickly reacted by collecting the ball and throwing it to wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh, who dived to complete the run-out of Kerr. India erupted in celebration as Kerr began to walk back to the pavilion, only to be halted by the third umpire.

Initially baffled, Harmanpreet later became furious after receiving an explanation from the umpires that the ball was dead at the time of the throw. She engaged in a lengthy argument with the match officials, while head coach Amul Mazumdar and other Indian coaches expressed their confusion about the situation. Harmanpreet and her deputy, Smriti Mandhana, joined the discussion with the third umpire before the players were instructed to return to the field and resume play.

Meanwhile, New Zealand defeated India by 58 runs in the Women's T20 World Cup match on Friday. Devine scored an impressive unbeaten 57 off 36 balls, helping New Zealand set a challenging target of 160 for 4. In response, the Indian team delivered a lacklustre performance, throwing away their wickets meekly to be bowled out for 102 in 19 overs.