When Michael Vaughan was out handling the ball in IND vs ENG 2001 Bengaluru Test [Watch]

Former England captain Michael Vaughan was one of the rare batters in cricket history to be dismissed for handling the ball. The dismissal occurred during the third and final Test of the India-England series at Bengaluru in 2001, with the hosts leading 1-0.

England won a useful toss and batted first. Led by Vaughan's brilliant 64, they raced to 206/3 in 67 overs in their first innings. However, the stylish right-hander missed an attempt to sweep off-spinner Sarandeep Singh as the ball dropped in front of his pads.

Assuming a dead-ball, Vaughan picked up the ball and threw it away from the stumps. Yet, to his shock, the Indians appealed for handling the ball, and the umpires gave a stunned Vaughan marching orders.

Here is a video of the delivery and a bemused Vaughan walking back to the pavilion:

The dismissal proved costly for England in the context of the match, as they finished their first innings with only 336. While they bowled India out for 238 in their first essay, the rest of the game was marred by weather interruptions.

The Bengaluru Test eventually ended in a dull draw, with India taking the series honors by a 1-0 margin.

A similar incident transpired on Day 2 of the ongoing 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa. Proteas batter David Bedingham inside-edged a ball onto his pad in the final over before lunch.

He then picked up the ball as it was stuck on his knee roll and threw it on the turf, resulting in a potential handling-the-ball dismissal. However, the umpires deemed the delivery a dead-ball, much to the relief of the right-hander.

Steve Waugh was dismissed handling the ball against India earlier in 2001 [Watch]

Former Aussie skipper Steve Waugh suffered a similar fate to that of Michael Vaughan against India earlier in 2001. The moment happened in the crucial series decider of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India in Chennai.

With the three-match series level at 1-1, the Aussies raced to 340/3 in the 96th over in the first innings of the Chennai Test. However, skipper Waugh suffered a brain-fade moment when he missed a sweep off Harbhajan Singh and knocked the ball away from the stumps with his hand.

The blatant act meant the umpires adjudged Waugh out handling-the-ball in one of the most bizarre moments in India-Australia matches.

Here is a video of the same:

Waugh was taking the game away from India, batting on 47 from 150 deliveries, when the incident happened. His dismissal turned the Test on its head as India took the final six wickets for just 51 runs to bowl the Aussies out for 391 in their first innings.

India eventually clinched a thriller by chasing a fourth-innings target of 155 with two wickets in hand. They also completed a remarkable series comeback, turning a 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 triumph.