A dead rubber clash between India and Sri Lanka turned out to be one of the most thrilling matches of the 2025 Asia Cup. Performances from both teams kept the audience on the edge of their seats, but what truly stood out was the chaos in the Super Over, when umpiring confusion raised the heartbeats of an already intense match.

The Incident That Sparked Confusion

Even though the match was a dead rubber, both Sri Lanka and India had the hunger to pull the win off from the other team, which led to the match going into a super over. With Sri Lanka batting first in the super over, it had already taken a hit with the loss of Kusal Perera, leaving Arshdeep Singh to face Dasun Shanaka. The ball flew past Shanaka’s bat, and Sanju Samson behind the stump pouched it cleanly. India appealed for the wicket, and the on-field umpire Gazi Sohel raised his finger, approving the appeal, giving Shanaka a caught behind, on which the Sri Lankan batter immediately asked for a review. 

It was confirmed in the replays that there was no edge. The decision was reversed, but by then Samson had already swiped off the bails, leaving both Shanaka and his partner stranded in the middle of the pitch. India’s happiness about taking the wicket was short-lived when the third umpire clarified that the run-out would not stand. The reason? The moment Shanaka was declared caught behind, the ball was officially dead. The decision turned out to be disheartening for India, while serving as a breath of fresh air for Sri Lanka

 Read More: India Beat Sri Lanka in Dramatic Super Over

What the Rule Book Says

The ruling was based on Law 20.1.1.3 of the MCC Laws of Cricket, in accordance with which “if a batter is dismissed… the ball will be deemed to be dead from the instant of the incident causing dismissal.”

Since Shanaka was given out earlier, the ball was considered dead from that very moment. However, thanks to the technology, it was later shown that the Sri Lankan batter was certainly not out; everything that happened after the raised finger went down the drain, and even Samson’s brilliant throw counted for nothing.

What the Experts Said?

Former cricketers and commentators were quick to weigh in on this umpiring confusion. The former Indian cricketer and coach Kris Srikkanth praised Shanaka’s alertness. “The first decision is important… Shanaka knew the rules and reviewed it.” Irfan Pathan added, “Since it was given out, caught behind, and reviewed, the ball is dead... that’s why Shanaka escapes run out.” However, Aakash Chopra raised his concerns and called this entire chaos a grey area: “Imagine if a wrongly adjudged caught behind denies a team boundary; this law could become very problematic.” Sri Lanka’s coach, Sanath Jayasuriya, labelled this episode as a loophole and emphasized that “rules must evolve with DRS. Otherwise, fairness takes a hit.”

An Intensifying Debate

This incident brought attention to the evolving cricket laws in the era of DRS. Critics believe that technology should be utilized for the dead-ball interpretations to avoid such unfair mishaps. Supporters, on the other hand, argue that the current cricket laws preserve clarity and avoid commotion during live matches.

Despite the commotion and confusion, India still managed to pull the victory off from Sri Lanka, with Arshdeep Singh successfully hunting down Shanaka only after two balls, and Sri Lanka hoisting a score of 2/2. The game was finished in favour of India, with Suryakumar Yadav punching the ball for three runs. The umpiring confusion, though it left players and fans puzzled for a while, added an extra layer of drama, making it one of the most thrilling and entertaining games of the series.