On Friday, with Ranji Trophy final qualification within reach, Gujarat’s No. 10 batsman, Arzan Nagwaswalla, played a powerful slog-sweep. The ball ricocheted off the helmet of Salman Nizar at silly point and then landed safely in the hands of captain Sachin Baby at first slip, virtually putting Kerala into the final on the fifth morning of their semifinal clash in Ahmedabad.
With only 28 runs and three wickets remaining, Kerala’s trusted players, Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarvate, stepped up to propel their adopted state team toward their first Ranji Trophy final in 74 years since the side first appeared in the prestigious tournament in 1951-52. 1 In reply to Kerala’s 457, Gujarat were bowled out for 455 runs.
1⃣ wicket in hand
2⃣ runs to equal scores
3⃣ runs to secure a crucial First-Innings LeadJoy. Despair. Emotions. Absolute Drama! 😮
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/kisimA9o9w#RanjiTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank | #GUJvKER | #SF1 pic.twitter.com/LgTkVfRH7q
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) February 21, 2025
The bizarre dismissal helped Kerala secure their place in the final for the first time in their 352nd Ranji appearance.
What is the rule?
This mode of dismissal was implemented by the International Cricket Council in 2017, allowing players to be caught, stumped, or run out off the helmet worn by a close-in fielder.
The review, conducted following the death of Phillip Hughes, recommended that the highest standard of helmets become mandatory for batsmen facing fast and medium-pace bowling, wicketkeepers standing up to the stumps, and for fielders positioned close to the batter (except slips fielders).
The change came after the MCC’s world cricket committee, featuring the likes of Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, and Sourav Ganguly, determined that catches and stumpings should be permitted after the ball has struck a helmet worn by a fielder.
“It is felt that balls rebounding off a fielder’s helmet could equally help or hinder the fielding side, and so the suggestion that rebounds off the helmet make catches easier should be disregarded,” the committee said in a statement.
What Khawaja said?
Australian Test opener Usman Khawaja had voiced his disapproval about the dismissal at the time.
A ball hiting the close in fielder’s helmet and caught shouldn’t be out. It is not a compulsory fielding position. Keeper is understandable.
— Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) September 26, 2017
“A ball hitting the close-in fielder’s helmet and caught shouldn’t be out. It is not a compulsory fielding position. Keeper is understandable,” Khawaja wrote on X.
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