Root falls in spite of Yadav fumble

For a split-second, Umesh Yadav's heart was in his mouth. He'd had the key wicket of England's innings clasped in his hands but appeared to have tossed it away in a celebratory gesture reminiscent of Herschelle Gibbs' infamous "dropping of the World Cup" at Headingley in 1999.

This time, however, there was no reprieve for the opposition's centurion. Whereas at Headingley 17 years ago, Steve Waugh went on to make a matchwinning 120 not out, in Rajkot Joe Root was sent on his way for 124, as Yadav ended a vital 179-run stand for England's fourth wicket.

The moment happened at blink-and-you-miss-it speed. Root, on the front foot, drove hard back towards Yadav's knees, and in a single upwards motion, the bowler first wrapped his fingers round the ball then flung it skywards, but with less control than he might have desired.

In a moment of panic, Yadav parried it over his head, peered back over his shoulder to locate the ball, then watched it flop to the turf near umpire Kumar Dharmasena. Root, understandably, stood his ground, but the batsman's fate was effectively sealed from the moment that Dharmasena gave a soft signal to the third umpire, Rod Tucker, that he believed that Yadav had been in control of the ball for long enough, and therefore the catch was fair.

The relevant part of the Law (19.4) states:

"The act of making the catch, or of fielding the ball, shall start from the time when the ball first comes into contact with some part of a fielder's person and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control both over the ball and over his own movement."

"I think the on-field umpire's soft signal was the key," Fraser Stewart, of the MCC, told ESPNcricinfo. "If he'd given a not-out soft signal, there was probably enough doubt to keep it as not out. However, as the soft signal was out, the on-field umpires must have been happy with it as their gut reaction and, had it been in a game with no reviews or referrals, they would have given it out.

"Did he have complete control over the ball? In slow-motion you would probably say 'yes', but in real time it's less clear. It could easily be argued either way."

The soft signal was introduced in response to concerns that TV replays, for all the benefits that they offer, don't always show the full picture as experienced live out in the middle. Low catches, in particular, have often fallen victim to the phenomenon of "foreshortening", as 3D events are replayed on 2D screens. In November 2014, the ICC introduced the concept of broadcasting the discussions between on-field and third umpires, to further demystify the process for viewers.

"Decision-making is an important skill and one that should be applied at the highest level of the game," umpire Simon Taufel told the Times of India recently. "So, the soft signal maintains the premise that the decision-making happens on field and not just left to technology to provide an outcome."

Root himself was phlegmatic about the incident. "I was so disgusted with the shot that - giving it the Arsene Wenger approach - I didn't really see what was happening.

"But having seen the slow-motion replay, it does look out. When it's sped up it looks a bit strange, but I was very lucky to get an umpire's call with an lbw earlier on and you have to take the rough with the smooth sometimes and just get on with it."