New Delhi: Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, who hit his first half-century of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 on Monday night, has been fined 50 percent of his match fee for showing dissent against umpire's decison during team's match against Rising Pune Supergiant.
The incident happened in the last over where Sharma was at the crease when Mumbai needed 17 off to win against Steve Smith's men.
After losing Hardik Pandya in the first ball, Sharma hit a six in the second but Jaydev Unadkat pushed the third delivery wide after seeing Sharma shuffle across the stumps. While the batsman left the delivery assuming that the umpire will signal a wide, that wasn't the case as umpire S Ravi thought it to be a legal delivery.
Disappointed with the decision, Sharma walked up to the umpire and protested even as the square-leg umpire A Nand Kishore intervened.
While the fine has been imposed on Rohit, his team-mate Harbhajan Singh said that the skipper wasn't at fault and did not misbehave with the official.
"The ball was too far outside, to be honest, but I don't really know whether it was wide or not," Harbhajan told reporters at the post match conference.
"If both the batsman's leg move, then bowler should get the margin, but Rohit's one leg had moved and as per me it should have been a wide. But we have to move on with the umpire's decision and they played better than us and it was great game of cricket.
"He (Rohit) wanted to check what is the rule then, where he need to stand, he did not shout at the umpire and asked him why did he not call a wide, he was asking where should I stand so that it is called a wide, if the bowl so outside, the more you move, the bowler will get the margin," he explained.
Harbhajan also differed that because of that particular ball, the hosts and specially Sharma lost the momentum.
"I don't know whether momentum was lost (because of the wide not being called), Rohit was hitting nicely but unfortunately he ended up hitting the ball straight in the air. That's what happens, cricket is game, anything can happen," he said.
"Just before that he hit a six and a similar ball went up in the air. I don't think momentum would have lost, at that time (you need to do) as a batter, just see and hit the ball, Rohit was batting on 50 odd, so don't think there were chances to lose the momentum," he added.
(With PTI inputs)
