Ruturaj Gaikwad calls out ‘pathetic’ umpiring in Ranji Trophy 2024-25

India and Maharashtra batter Ruturaj Gaikwad expressed his frustration at the shoddy umpiring in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. Notably, Gaikwad is currently in Australia playing in the second unofficial Test for India A against Australia A. However, the Maharashtra captain is closely following the action of his team in the Ranji Trophy and pointed out a controversial call by the umpire.
Gaikwad took to his Instagram story to share a clip of current Maharashtra captain Aniket Bawne’s dismissal from Day 2 of the game against Services. Bawne was dismissed caught out despite the ball bouncing in front of the fielder Amit Shukla at second slip. The replays clearly showed the ball bouncing before getting into the fielder’s hands.
However, the umpires adjudged Bawne out which made the Maharashtra captain engage in a lengthy discussion with the umpires before walking back to the pavilion. Gaikwad also expressed his disappointment on the decision calling it pathetic.
“How can this be given out in a live game? Shame to even appeal for this catch! Absolutely Pathetic,” wrote Gaikwad on his Instagram story.
Meanwhile, Gaikwad didn’t have a great outing in the unofficial Tests against Australia A as he registered scores of 0 and 5 across two innings in the first game. He further got dismissed for 11 and 4 in the second Test. Hence, the right-handed batter didn’t have a memorable time in the entire series.
Gaikwad went to Australia on the back of good showings in the two Ranji Trophy games against Jammu and Kashmir and Mumbai respectively. Against Mumbai, he redeemed himself after being dismissed for a duck in the first innings and played a magnificent knock of 145 (171) in the second innings with the help of 16 fours and two sixes.
Earlier, he scored a brilliant 86 (130) vs Jammu & Kashmir in the first-round fixture of the tournament. Following his performances, Gaikwad was handed the captaincy of the India A team but failed to lead from the front.