IND vs SA: Host broadcaster SuperSport responds to Team India's stump mic outburst, issues official statement on DRS row
It's yet to be seen whether match referee Andy Pycroft and the International Cricket Council (ICC) take any disciplinary action against Kohli & Co.
South Africa may have clinched the Test rubber 2-1 on Friday after winning the third and final game at Cape Town, but opposition skipper Virat Kohli's on-field outburst continued to create waves on social media. The Indian leader was embroiled in a controversy on the third day of the Newlands Test for his stump mic comments questioning the umpiring and technology.
South Africa skipper Dean Elgar got a reprieve due to a contentious DRS decision, leading to a riled-up Kohli going to the stumps and saying, "Focus on your team as well when they shine the ball eh, not just the opposition. Trying to catch people all the time."
Elgar was trapped by R Ashwin's delivery but the ball tracking showed that it was going above the stumps, and the controversial call DRS evoked a reaction from the Indian captain. "It's the whole country against 11 guys," said KL Rahul, while Ashwin slammed the broadcaster: "You should find better ways to win, SuperSport."
The episode drew a lot of criticism from pundits and fans, and host broadcaster SuperSport has also weighed in on the Indian team's DRS meltdown. In a brief statement issued to AFP, the broadcaster said: "SuperSport notes comments made by certain members of the Indian cricket team.
It's yet to be seen whether match referee Andy Pycroft and the International Cricket Council (ICC) take any disciplinary action against the trio of Kohli, Rahul and Ashwin, whose words were caught by the stump mic.
"Hawk-Eye is an independent service provider, approved by the ICC and their technology has been accepted for many years as an integral part of DRS. SuperSport does not have any control over the Hawk-Eye technology," the statement further said.
After India's series defeat, Kohli didn't choose to weigh in on his actions, saying he wasn't present in the post-match presser to justify what happened on the field.
"I have no comment to make. I understood what happened on the field and people on the outside don't know exactly what goes on the field. So me to try and justify what we did on the field and say 'we got carried away'.... If we would have charged up and picked up three wickets there that could have been probably the moment that could change the game," he said.
India had won the first Test by 113 runs but South Africa registered wins in the second and third Test to clinch the series. The action now shifts to the three-match series, starting January 19, where KL Rahul will be seen leading the limited-overs camp in Rohit Sharma's absence.