Virat Kohli gets bowled on free hit but India awarded three byes; what do ICC rules say?

The India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2022  match in Melbourne had no shortage of drama, action, and emotion. The match went down till the final ball and it was Ravichandran Ashwin who hit the winning shot to help Team India edge out Pakistan by four wickets in the opening match of the campaign. However, the evening belonged to Virat Kohli who produced an absolute masterclass performance with the bat with an unbeaten knock of 82 off just 53 deliveries. The match had no shortage of controversy, especially in the final over where Kohli lost out of partners, but eventually won it for his side.

T20 World Cup: Why was India awarded runs despite Virat Kohli being bowled off free hit delivery?

The incident happened on the fourth delivery of the final over. Kohli smashed a huge six off Mohammad Nawaz when Team India needed 13 runs off three deliveries. Seconds later, the umpire also called it a no-ball for being above waist height, awarding a free hit. The next delivery was adjudged wide. The free hit continued for the next delivery, with Virat Kohli getting bowled. However, the ball hit the stumps and ran towards the boundary line through the third man region. Kohli and Dinesh Karthik ran three runs. Pakistan captain Babar Azam had a discussion with the umpire on whether the runs should be awarded to the Indian team.

In free hit, there are only four modes of dismissals. The first one is when a batsman handles the ball, the second one is when the batsman hits the ball twice, obstructing the field, and the final one is a runout. India was awarded byes as the ball was still in play because being bowled is not one of the modes of dismissals mentioned. According to the MCC Laws of Cricket, the ball can only become dead when it is finally settled in the hands of the wicketkeeper or of the bowler, or when a boundary is scored. The ball can also be called a dead ball when a batter is dismissed. The ball will be deemed to be dead from the instant of the incident causing the dismissal.

The law - 20.1.1 – also states the other different ways of declaring a ball dead, including the times when the umpire has the authority on the decision. With regards to ball hitting the stumps, the umpire can call the ball dead when “one or both bails fall from the striker’s wicket before the striker has had the opportunity of playing the ball.”

T20 World Cup: India beats Pakistan in a dramatic final over 

With 16 runs needed in the last over, Nawaz gave India a huge blow dismissing Hardik Pandya on the first ball of the over. Pandya went to hit a big shot but mistimed it completely to give a catch to find Babar Azam at the cover. Dinesh Karthik took a single before Virat Kohli scored two runs off the next ball. Pakistan still had the upper hand in the match with India still requiring 13 runs to win off the last three deliveries.

The momentum of the match shifted when Nawaz bowled a no ball, which Kohli smashed for a six-over deep square. The Pakistan spinner under pressure bowled a wide delivery before conceding three runs in byes off the fourth delivery. Another twist came in the match when Nawaz dismissed Karthik via stumping off his fifth delivery, leaving the equation to two runs off the last ball. The match turned towards India's favour yet again after Nawaz bowled yet another wide. With a single needed of the final ball, R Ashwin calmly hit a lofted shot over mid-off to seal the match for India.