Ajinkya Rahane called back from dressing room to bat again, Shardul Thakur asked to go, umpires' decision sparks debate
Ajinkya Rahane swiftly made his way into the dressing room and next batter Shardul Thakur walked in to bat but the umpires were not done checking the no-ball.
The umpiring standards in domestic cricket came under the spotlight once again during the Mumbai vs Jammu and Kashmir Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match at the BKC ground in Mumbai. In the rarest of rare incidents, Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane was called back by the on-field umpires almost five minutes after he was dismissed and entered the dressing room as the third umpire informed that the bowler had overstepped.

The incident happened in the 25th over of Mumbai's second innings on day 2. J&K pacer Umar Nazir banged it in short and caught Rahane off guard. He was cramped for room while playing the pull shot and only managed to glove it to the keeper. The drama, however, began after that. Rahane swiftly made his way into the dressing room and the next batter Shardul Thakur walked in to bat but the umpires were not done checking the no-ball.
It took some time for the replays to load and when the third umpire confirmed that Nazir had overstepped, the on-field umpires asked Thakur to go back and instructed Rahane to make his way back into the middle.
When Rahane arrived at the crease again, the umpires were seen telling him that they had asked him to wait because of the no-ball check, but the Mumbai captain couldn't hear.
According to the laws of the game, "An umpire shall intervene if satisfied that a batter, not having been given out, has left the wicket under a misapprehension of being out. The umpire intervening shall call and signal Dead ball to prevent any further action by the fielding side and shall recall the batter.
"A batter may be recalled at any time up to the instant when the ball comes into play for the next delivery unless it is the final wicket of the innings, in which case it should be up to the instant when the umpires leave the field."
Rahane was out on Nazir's next over thanks to an outstanding catch at mid-off by J&K captain Paras Dogra. Nazir pitched it full and just outside the off stump and Rahane went for an uppish drive. Dogra, standing at mid-off, took a couple of quick steps to his left and flew to his left to grab a stunning one-handed catch.
Before Rahane's dismissal, there were a couple of instances of unsatisfactory umpiring. Shreyas Iyer was given out when it appeared that he had clearly nicked the ball to the keeper, but the batter was given out four overs later despite him complaining about the legitimacy of the catch taken. Rahane, who was at the non-striker's end, was also seen having a chat with the umpires.
Meanwhile, A resolute Shardul Thakur played the rescue act to perfection for the star-studded but misfiring Mumbai, as his second first-class hundred brought the Ranji Trophy defending champions back from the brink.
Having conceded a huge 86-run lead in the first innings, Mumbai were left tottering at 101/7 in the second innings when Thakur and Tanush Kotian put on a robust 173-run unbeaten stand for the eighth wicket to turn the tables on J&K.
Mumbai reached 274/7 at stumps on Day Two, ahead by 188 runs with Thakur batting on 113 (119 balls, 13 fours) and Kotian on 58 not out off 119 balls with six fours.
