Daryl Mitchell lbw brings DRS back in the spotlight

A contentious DRS decision during the second T20I between New Zealand and India led to a controversial dismissal and sparked confusion over the entire process.

Daryl Mitchell was given out lbw off Krunal Pandya despite HotSpot showing a clear mark as the ball passed the inside edge. And the replay of the entire incident shown on the stadium screen prompted open-mouthed surprise on both the batsman's face and that of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who was at the non-striker's end.

Krunal was bowling the final ball of the sixth over, a skidder that went on with the arm and past Mitchell's flick to hit him on the pads. The on-field decision from umpire Chris Brown was out but it was challenged almost immediately. The replays handed to the third umpire offered two differing perspectives. Snicko did not show a spike as the ball went past the bat, but HotSpot revealed a clear white mark on the inside edge. Ball-tracking also showed a deviation as ball passed bat.

Left to make the final call, TV umpire Shaun Haig upheld the original decision once the ball was shown to be on track to hitting the stumps.

Simon Doull, who was on commentary at the time, called it "absolutely ridiculous" and Mitchell, in fact, seemed to walk up to India captain Rohit Sharma, who was then seen speaking to the umpires.

India pacer Khaleel Ahmed said after the game that the India players accepted the umpire's decision on face value.

"We were just waiting for the umpire's call, because we can't do anything in that decision," Khaleel said at the press conference. "So we were just waiting for that decision. Whatever the umpire said, we accepted it."

New Zealand chief selector Gavin Larsen said: "From a personal perspective I thought the video evidence was quite damning, so I'll leave it at that. If it was a mistake then that's the way things go. In a very general sense, though, I'm not uncomfortable with the way DRS is operating and more often than not the guy in the box is getting it right and the communication between the third umpire and the guys on the field is very good."

The ICC rules indicate a fielding captain can withdraw an appeal if he gets the permission to do so from the umpire who made the decision, and the next ball of the game hasn't been delivered yet.

A similar incident took place in the Big Bash League earlier this season when Brisbane Heat's James Pattinson was given run-out despite replays showing his bat had been grounded and well past the crease. The opposition captain, Adelaide Strikers' Colin Ingram, however, decided to call the batsman back on that occasion.