Gavaskar surprised as Pant was told to change his stance by umpire, Manjrekar terms it ridiculous

After
the
end
of
the
first
day’s
play
at
Headingley,
the
swashbuckling
wicketkeeper
said
he
had
to
change
his
stance
after
being
told
by
the
umpire
as
batting
outside
the
crease
to
negate
swing
formed
footmarks
in
the
pitch’s
danger
area.
But
Gavaskar
said
footmarks
don’t
determine
a
batsman’s
stance.

“I
was
wondering
why
was
he
told
to
change
his
stance
if
that
is
true.
I
only
read
it.
The
batsman
can
stand
anywhere,
even
on
the
middle
of
the
pitch,
and
why
when
the
batsman
goes
don
the
track
against
the
spinners
(footmarks
can
form
even
then),”
Gavaskar
said
while
commentating
on
the
third
day
of
the
match.

His
fellow
commentator
and
former
India
player
Sanjay
Manjrekar
called
it
“ridiculous”.
Pant
spoke
about
this
after
India
were
bowled
out
for
78
on
the
opening
day
of
the
match.

“Because
I
was
standing
outside
the
crease
and
my
front
foot
was
coming
into
the
danger
area,
so
he
(the
umpire)
told
me
that
you
can’t
stand
there,”
Pant
had
said
during
the
virtual
post-day
press
conference
on
Wednesday.

“So,
I
have
(had)
to
change
my
stance,
but
as
a
cricketer,
I
don’t
have
to
think
too
much
about
that,
because
it’s
everyone
who
is
going
to
do
that,
umpires
are
going
to
say
the
same
thing.
I
didn’t
do
that
the
next
ball
and
you
move
on.”

The
decision
by
the
two
English
umpires
once
again
that
whether
it’s
time
that
ICC
reverts
back
to
its
two
neutral
on-field
umpires
for
Test
matches
which
has
been
stopped
due
to
travel
restrictions
in
the
post-COVID-19
world.

(With
PTI
inputs)