The way Virat Kohli and his teammates reacted after being denied Dean Elgar’s wicket through a controversial DRS has caused a huge outrage in the cricket community around the world.

Given what was at stake, one could understand why Indian players were furious with the decision but even then their comments couldn’t be justified.

Kohli and Indian players on the stump mic #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/fXs6x8RFtD

— Xolani (@ThatXolani) January 13, 2022

From Kohli to Ravichandran Ashwin to KL Rahul, most of these Indian players have a massive fan following and are idolised by millions of budding cricketers, not just in India but all over the world. 

And many people felt that their behaviour was “very immature” and slammed them for setting a bad example for millions of kids who want to follow in their footsteps and become a world-class cricketer like them. 

Was it the right decision?

Shaun Pollock and Sunil Gavaskar discuss the use of hawkeye after Umpire adjudged Dean Elgar out lbw but reversed his decision as the tracking technology showed the ball going over the wicket... pic.twitter.com/k9w9ajisE1

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) January 13, 2022

There was no doubt that it was a hard pill to swallow for the Indian players but we shouldn’t forget that things like these have been happening on a cricket field for a long time. Sometimes you are unlucky and sometimes you benefit out of it. 

The Indian team might have felt hard done in Cape Town but there have been occasions, in the past, when they benefited from the dubious DRS call. 

A WC SEMIFINAL CAN'T GET ANY BIGGER THAN THIS
Sehwag sizzler at the top
Lucky Sachin anchoring the innings
MS-Raina with key knocks
Indian bowlers having a field day#OnThisDay in 2011, India snatched another Mauka Mauka from Pak in a WC encounter, winning by 29 runs pic.twitter.com/gG7y5tuJRo

— North Stand Gang - Wankhede (@NorthStandGang) March 30, 2020

The most famous incident that comes to mind is the incident involving ‘Master Blaster’ Sachin Tendulkar in the semi-final of the 2011 World Cup against arch-rivals Pakistan in Mohali. 

Saeed Azmal had bowled a loopy delivery which the batting maestro tried to clip towards the leg side but missed the ball completely. The ball struck him on the pads and the umpire Ian Gould raised his finger and declared him out. 

#OnThiDay in 2011 India beat Pakistan and qualofied for final of ICC cricket World Cup amd it was my first ever match which made me fall in love with cricket it made me extremely sad i remember those tears in @SAfridiOfficial eyes i remember shoaib akhtar got retired pic.twitter.com/PuqPjLliKr

— Momina Shahzadian (@IamMomina_19) March 30, 2019

Just like Elgar, even Sachin knew he was in trouble but still decided to challenge the decision, hoping for a miracle. From commentators to the spectators, whoever watched things unfold in real time was sure that there was no way the decision would be overturned, it looked dead in front. 

To everyone’s surprise and to the relief of billions of Indian supporters, the ball tracking technology predicted a trajectory that nobody saw coming. It showed that the ball turned sharply so much that it would have comfortably gone past the leg stump. 

As soon as the original decision was overturned, the whole stadium erupted, while the Pakistani supporters couldn’t believe what they had just seen. 

Saeed Ajmal "When the Sachin Tendulkar decision from the 2011 World Cup was overturned on review, I was told that the technology should be trusted & is accurate. Today those same people are saying the technology should not be trusted & is not accurate" #Cricket #SAvsIND #IndvsPak

— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) January 13, 2022

Led by their skipper Shahid Afridi, they expressed their frustration but their reactions weren’t as animated. In fact, many believe that the Tendulkar incident was the turning point of the match and had they got this wicket, they could have won the game and taken India’s place in the final. 

The Pakistani players were shocked with the decision but none of them vented their disappointment in the stump mic. They didn’t accuse India of cheating or called out the official broadcasters of tempering with the ball-tracking technology. 

© ICC

Despite being hard done, they didn’t let their emotions get the better of themselves and played the game in true spirit, something which Kohli and his team failed to do. It’s one lesson they should have learnt from their Pakistani counterparts.

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