Umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin steps down from on-field umpiring duties for third T20I

What’s the story?

Chettithody Shamshuddin has decided to stand down from the role of the on-field umpire for the final T20I between India and England in Bangalore. After criticism from England captain Eoin Morgan, Shamshuddin has decided to take over as the third umpire.

Shamshuddin will officiate as the third umpire and Nitin Menon will replace him as the on-field umpire along with Anil Chaudhary. He said he’s not feeling 100 % and made the call himself.

The 46-year-old didn’t have a great time in the second T20I at Nagpur, where he made quite a few mistakes, including that of Joe Root’s dismissal in the final over that all but swung the game in India's favor and helped them level the series.

At the post-match press conference, an Morgan said, “I would probably say the decision that didn't go our way at the start of the 20th over (Root’s dismissal) cost us a lot more. It swung momentum in their favour quite a lot. It's disappointing, and it proved quite costly in the end. If that happened in a big game in a World T20, you would be fuming with that decision. When there is a lot on the line - like if that was in a World T20 - you might have to consider bringing in DRS. Umpires are human, they do make mistakes.”

Extra Cover: Jasprit Bumrah plays down the impact of controversial umpiring on T20I series

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The second T20I which was won by India was littered with decisions that went the wrong way and Shamshuddin in particular drew plenty of criticism from the England camp, especially the captain who was livid with the decisions that changed the game.

The heart of the matter

Amongst the many decisions that against went wrong way, the first involved Indian captain Virat Kohli, who was given not out after being trapped plumb in front while batting on 7 and there was another in which Yuvraj Singh escaped in a similar fashion.

However, the biggest decision was that of Joe Root, who got out in the last over of the match with England needing eight runs off six balls. Root was given out lbw despite the fact that he got a clear inside edge of the first ball of the Jasprit Bumrah over.

That turned the game in India’s favour as England managed just one more run and completely lost the plot. Morgan was critical of the umpire, but was quick to admit that DRS should be considered.

What next?

The third T20I is set to take place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru with the series level at 1-1.

Sportskeeda’s Take

Shamshuddin, who is part of ICC’s Emerging Panel for umpires, looks to have made the right call as he would have been under instense scrutiny with the series on the line. The fact that Shamshuddin wasn’t initially supposed to officiate but ICC still put his name forward comes as a surprise but at the end of the day, it looks like commonsense has prevailed.