"Ajinkya Rahane out but Tim Paine isn't?" - Twitter users furious over dismissal

Twitter was heated up after stand-in India captain Ajinkya Rahane was declared run-out by the third Umpire on Day 3 of the 2nd Test match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

It was a close call but Ajinkya Rahane’s bat appeared to be on the line when the replays were shown on the screen. Twitterati compared Rahane’s run out with the closeup of Tim Paine in the Australian innings. They asked why the India stand-in skipper wasn’t given the benefit of doubt like his Australian counterpart.

Ajinkya Rahane was given out for 112 by the third Umpire after he looked at the replays. What triggered the outrage of the Indian fans on Twitter was the fact the third Umpire did not ask for a different angle like he had done in the case of Paine in the first innings, before he ruled him not out.

It’s simple: it’s called biased umpiring.

— Prazzo (@Prazzo84) December 28, 2020

Rahane is "out" by about the same margin Paine was "in" #AusvInd

— Daniel Brettig (@danbrettig) December 28, 2020

That should have been NOT OUT on the basis that the Australians did not appeal alone. I, for the life of me, can't see the difference b/w this and NOT OUT run out yesterday.

— Goody HOW (@Mayella09476043) December 28, 2020

Cheat. Paine doesn’t get pain but rahane gets harsh... Simon toff said bails has to come off from both stumps which was not the case

— Ankit (@ankitkshukla) December 28, 2020

#INDvsAUSRahane was given out quickly from a frame but Paine was not given. Both were out.

— Dharminder (@Dharmin47473800) December 28, 2020

Ajinkya Rahane run-out refuels Umpiring controversy

The cricket fraternity has time and again challenged the Umpiring rules laid out by ICC. Umpires call during DRS reviews have become a topic of debate more often than not. Cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar too have challenged the DRS systems laid out by ICC, the governing body of cricket.

Do you agree? 🤔Should ICC have a look in the DRS and scrap the ‘Umpires Call’? 👀#AUSvsIND pic.twitter.com/kkl0WsTaQB

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) December 28, 2020

Australian captain Tim Paine was lucky to survive a close run out call during the opening day of the Test. There was a mix up between Tim Paine and Cameron Green when Umesh Yadav got the throw-in from cover to the striker’s end and Rishabh Pant took off the bails.

The third Umpire took a long time to make his decision as Tim Paine’s bat was very close to the crease when the stumps were disturbed. One angle suggested Tim Paine’s bat was on the line. Another suggested the Australian captain had managed to get his bat just over the line.

The entire event sparked a major controversy and made fans furious about the already-debated topic of local Umpiring by ICC. Fans were furious as to why Ajinkya Rahane's case wasn't looked at from different angles when the same was done for Australian counterpart Tim Paine in a twin event.

As for the clash between the two cricketing giants, India were all-out for 326. India's tail did not hang around for too long after Ajinkya Rahane departed. The Men in Blue now have a 131-run lead and Rahane's troops will look to keep the hosts to a low score.