2nd Test: MS Dhoni turns boos into applause

India may or may not win the Test but they have won the hearts of England here on Sunday. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni transformed constant boos into instant applause from an appreciative Trent Bridge crowd after withdrawing a run-out appeal against Ian Bell. The England batsman, declared out by the umpires, was allowed to bat again after Dhoni’s sporting gesture. The captain emerged as an excellent statesman out of the gesture.


Appreciation followed from the different headquarters of the game, with the ICC saying Dhoni upheld the “great spirit of the game”. The ECB stated the withdrawal of a valid appeal demonstrated the true spirit in which the game should be played. Sunil Gavaskar cited England’s gesture of playing in India after the 26/11 attacks and said Dhoni’s move exhibited friendship between the two nations.

The incident happened at the stroke of tea. Bell hit the last ball before the break and thought it had crossed the ropes. Praveen Kumar managed to retrieve the ball and sent it to wicketkeeper Dhoni, who threw it to Abhinav Mukund near the stumps. The Indian fielder immediately removed the bails and the Indians appealed for a run-out.

Bell, by then, was on his way back to the dressing room thinking that the umpire had called tea. But the umpires and the Indian players stood their ground. Marais Erasmus, the umpire at the non-striker’s end, referred it to third umpire who declared Bell out.

The stunned England batsman, not out on 137 at that stage, said at the boundary line that the umpire had called ‘over’ but there was no evidence to substantiate that claim. Eoin Morgan, his partner, did not endorse it. The stadium erupted in boos for the Indian team. Even as they walked back to the dressing room, they faced the vocal wrath of a packed house.

There were further boos when the Indian players returned for the post-tea session. But when Bell came back to take the crease, the crowd gave a standing ovation to the Indian players. Even the English players applauded the Indian team from their dressing room.

Meanwhile, there was a debate on the telly if the Indian appeal was legal and ethical. There were, in fact, no backers for the batsman. Every commentator upheld India’s right to appeal. Nasser Hussain, Mike Atherton, powerful voices of world cricket, said Bell was careless to leave the crease and said the Indian players tell the umpires and rival captain before leaving the crease. They hailed Dhoni for upholding the spirit of the game.

Trent Bridge has this habit of creating controversy between India and England teams. There was this famous jelly beans issue that rocked the relations between the teams. The Bell episode had the potential of breaking down the relations between the teams but Dhoni showed perfect statesmanship by withdrawing the appeal.