Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav added a dash of theatre to a routine DRS call in Dharamsala on Sunday, with Arshdeep Singh revealing post-match that the skipper deliberately delayed the review signal to build suspense.
The moment came during India’s seven-wicket win over South Africa in the third T20I, a result that pushed the hosts 2-1 up in the five-match series after the sides traded one-sided wins in the first two games.
What happened with the Hendricks review
South Africa opener Reeza Hendricks was struck on the front pad early in the innings, and India were convinced enough to take it upstairs. But instead of the instant, automatic “T” you usually see these days, Suryakumar took his time before finally signalling for the review, much to the amusement of broadcast viewers alike.
Arshdeep Singh, who bowled a brilliant spell in the game and finished as the player of the match, explained that there was no real debate about whether to challenge the on-field call; only a bit of drama led by the captain.
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“Not really. It was Surya bhai who wanted to get some suspense in that one. I knew that it was out from the moment it struck Hendricks on the front pad. When I got the approval from Jitesh Sharma, we were going for the review, but Surya bhai wanted to take some time and then signal the review,” Arshdeep said during the post-match conversation.
{{/usCountry}}“Not really. It was Surya bhai who wanted to get some suspense in that one. I knew that it was out from the moment it struck Hendricks on the front pad. When I got the approval from Jitesh Sharma, we were going for the review, but Surya bhai wanted to take some time and then signal the review,” Arshdeep said during the post-match conversation.
{{/usCountry}}For Arshdeep, the light moment landed on a night of serious course-correction. He has endured a brutal previous outing in the series, but Dharamsala’s cold air and responsive surface brought the basics back into the frame as India bundled South Africa out for 117 and chased it down comfortably.