India cricketers R Ashwin and Anil Kumble has raised concerns about umpire Paul Reiffel’s decision-making during the Lord’s Test between England and India, suggesting potential bias in his decisions against India.During the fourth day’s play, several controversial decisions led to heated discussions. A notable incident involved Joe Root being given not out by Reiffel to a Mohammed Siraj delivery, which replays showed would have clipped leg stump. Another contentious moment occurred when Indian captain Shubman Gill was given out caught behind off Brydon Carse, a decision later overturned on review.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“My experience with Paul Reiffel… You need to talk to him. You need to set him up. I am not saying that you ask him to give it out. But he has this thing… whenever India bowl, he feels it’s not out, whenever India bat, he feels it’s out. If this is happening not just against India but against every team, then the ICC needs to look at the umpiring,” Ashwin stated on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat.
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Referring to the Gill decision, Ashwin commented: “See this. I have a sedan. That can go through the gap between the bat and ball here. When I saw this the first time, I felt it was not out.”Ashwin further elaborated on his concerns about Reiffel’s decision-making patterns: “But this wasn’t the first time (a wrong decision was given). My dad was watching the match with me and he was saying, ‘If Paul Reiffel is there, we won’t win.’ Whenever Paul Reiffel is umpiring, decisions go against India. When we are bowling, umpire’s call is usually not out. When we are batting, there’s no umpire’s call (in our favour). There’s something there. My dad says whenever he is umpiring, India lose.”Anil Kumble shared his perspective on the umpiring after one of Siraj’s deliveries trapped Joe Root in front of the stumps. Upon review, the ball was shown to be hitting the stumps but the umpire’s call rule came into effect.“It seems Paul Reiffel has decided that it is not going to be out. Anything close, not out,” said the legendary leg-spinner.Fact check: Does Paul Reiffel have an anti-India bias?
The match saw 11 decisions being reviewed when former Australia seamer Reiffel was the umpire.With England batting, India took two reviews, one was overturned while the other remained as is on umpire’s call. During India’s turn to bat, India’s review was overturned while England’s stayed not out as they chased a wicket.During the second innings of the Test, India took four reviews with three coming out unsuccessful, including one as umpire’s call. Only one decision came out in India’s favour. As India chased the win, they were successful in overturning one of two reviews they took. England, meanwhile, suffered the frustration of umpire’s call on a not out call.
In total, of the 11 dismissals that were put to on-field umpire Reiffel and subsequently reviewed, seven came out in India’s favour. England could celebrate only four times after a review.Statistical analysis of Reiffel’s umpiring record in matches involving India presents a different picture. In 39 international matches across formats where Reiffel has officiated, India have won 23 matches, maintaining a win percentage of 58.97%.The DRS statistics show that out of 21 “umpire’s call” verdicts in reviews against Reiffel’s decisions, 11 have favoured India, representing 52.38% of such calls. In Test matches specifically, 14 out of 21 successful reviews against Reiffel’s decisions have been in India’s favour.
