An image of umpire Kumar Dharmasena appearing to signal an inside edge to England’s bowler has taken social media by storm during Day 1 of the 5th Test between India and England at The Oval. Meanwhile, India are 72 for 2 as play was stopped due to rain and early lunch was taken.Follow Live: IND vs ENG 5th Test The incident took place in the 13th over of India’s first innings when Josh Tongue delivered a fiery inswinging yorker to Sai Sudharsan. The ball dipped sharply and struck Sudharsan low on the pad as he fell to the ground in an awkward position. England appealed loudly for an LBW, but Dharmasena quickly shook his head and was seen gesturing with his fingers, seemingly indicating an inside edge.
Kumar Dharmasena
The replays later confirmed that Sudharsan had indeed managed to get a faint inside edge, saving him from what would have been a plumb LBW. However, it was Dharmasena’s on-field gesture that became the focus. A still photo of him with fingers apart has been widely shared online, with fans interpreting it as a rare mid-appeal clarification to the fielding side. So far in the match, India have had a shaky start after losing the toss for the fifth time in the series. They lost both openers cheaply — Yashasvi Jaiswal was trapped LBW by Gus Atkinson for 2, while KL Rahul was bowled by Chris Woakes for 14 after an inside edge onto the stumps. Sudharsan who is joined by Captain Shubman Gill now carries the hopes of steadying India’s innings in tough overcast conditions.
