3 bizarre instances when the bails did not fall off, despite the ball hitting the stumps

The first day of the India-Bangladesh Test was a closely-contested affair as India ended the day on 278/6 in the stipulated 90 overs. India recovered from 48/3 through fighting half-centuries from Cheteshwar Pujara and Shreyas Iyer, who took the Indian team out of a spot of bother.

Shreyas Iyer has had a particularly impressive year as he ended the day at 82* runs off 169 balls. Over the course of his innings, the Mumbai batter became India's highest run-scorer across all formats in 2022. However, apart from his composed innings with the bat, Shreyas Iyer also broke the internet, owing to his lucky escape towards the end of Day 1.

With India cruising to 258/4 in 83.2 overs, and Shreyas Iyer batting on 77, Bangladeshi pacer Ebadot Hossain bowled a delivery that kept low and rattled the stumps. However, the bails did not fall off, giving the batter a lucky escape. Luckily for Bangladesh, this stroke of luck did not cost them too much as Iyer fell the next day at 86.

There have been other moments through the years where, like Shreyas Iyer, batters have survived because the bails refused to fall off. Let's look at three other instances.

#1 Ben Stokes vs Australia (4th Test, Ashes 2021-22)

England were 3-0 down in the five-match Ashes Test series. While Australia were looking for a white-wash, England wanted to show some fight in the fourth test. Batting first, Australia declared a healthy total of 416/8 on Day 2. In reply, England's fragile top-order collapsed, producing a meager 36/4. The job of rebuilding the English innings fell to all-rounder Ben Stokes and senior batter Jonny Bairstow. The duo added 128 runs for the fifth-wicket, getting the English team out of the woods. Yet it could have all ended very early when a Cameron Green delivery to Ben Stokes kissed the off-stump but failed to dislodge the bails, giving the English star a reprieve. The incident was made even more amusing by umpire Paul Reifell as he declared Stokes out via LBW, a decision which was later overturned after a review by the batter. The English team would have been reduced to 57/5 but Stokes rode his luck to score an important half-century. England would go on to secure a draw with just one wicket remaining on the final day.

#2 MS Dhoni vs Rajasthan Royals (Match 12, IPL 2019)

Chennai Super Kings defeated Rajasthan Royals by 8 runs in a closely-contested match at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai. However, it was Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni's lucky reprieve that broke the internet. Chennai were struggling at 28/3 in 5.3 overs when English pacer Jofra Archer bowled a short delivery to Dhoni who attempted to defend it off the back-foot. The ball hit Dhoni's bat, then brushed against his pad and rolled over to hit the stumps. However, the bails stood unmoved. Dhoni was batting on 0 at that time, facing only his second delivery. He went on score 75* off 46 balls, guiding his side to a narrow 8-run win over the Royals. The result would have almost surely been different had Dhoni been dismissed at the time.

#3 KL Rahul vs Chennai Super Kings (Match 18, IPL 2019)

During the 18th match of IPL 2019 at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai, KL Rahul had the luckiest of escapes after yet another stunning display behind the stumps by 'Captain Cool' MS Dhoni. The incident occurred in the 13th over of the match when Punjab Kings skipper attempted to take a single after playing a sweep shot off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja. Rahul, however, failed to connect properly and the ball fell very close to an alert Dhoni. Unaware of the exact location of the ball, Rahul ventured out of his crease only for Dhoni to flick the ball onto the stumps in quintessential 'Mahi' style. Luckily for the Punjab Kings captain, the bails did not fall off and he survived a narrow escape. With Punjab cruising at 94/2 in 12.3 overs and chasing a target of 161, this could have been a big moment in the match. However, in spite of K.L. Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan both scoring half-centuries, Punjab fell short by 22 runs in the end.

With this we conclude our list. Did we miss out on any other such instances of the bails refusing to fall? Which one is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.