Former Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli looked in exquisite form in his 36-ball 48 against Mumbai Indians in Pune on Saturday evening, not only looking set for a well-deserved half-century, but also finishing off the game for RCB.

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However, Kohli’s fluent performance was cut short by the unlikeliest bowler, along with a disputed dismissal that left him furious as he walked back to the pavilion just two deliveries before RCB won their third straight game this season.

Dewald Brevis was introduced into the attack in the 19th over of the game, and with his maiden delivery in the IPL, he dismissed a tournament legend. It was a length delivery that slid down the middle and struck Kohli’s pad in line with the stumps, but he chose to appeal the judgement.

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An obvious perspective revealed that the ball struck the bat first, resulting in a large inside edge that then struck the pad. The third umpire, however, felt that the ball hit both the bat and the pad at the same moment, and because there was no convincing proof as to which came first, he did not overturn the call.

Following the incident, past cricketers weighed in on the contentious dismissal, and former India cricketer Aakash Chopra was among the first to comment, writing on Twitter, “In the case of ball hitting the bat and pad at the same time…it’s considered bat first. As far as I know. Let’s check the laws…”

“That was bat first. I would have given it ‘not out’,” according to ESPNCricinfo, former India opener Wasim Jaffer said. Former England cricketer Nick Knight, who was in the commentary box at the time of the dismissal, later stated to Star Sports, “From the commentary box I could’ve easily seen that there was a massive inside edge in Virat Kohli’s case.”

Meanwhile, when asked about the incident by a fan on Twitter, experienced spinner Amit Mishra responded with a humorous graphic.

The dismissal had no effect on RCB’s run chase, as Glenn Maxwell finished the game two deliveries later, handing Mumbai Indians their fourth straight loss in IPL 2022.