'Fake fielding' by Virat Kohli, says Bangladesh batter Nurul Hasan

Did Virat Kohli fake a throw to try and deceive Bangladeshi batsmen in the crucial T20 World Cup encounter between India and Bangladesh in Adelaide on Wednesday?

Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan is saying the ace Indian batter did and that it was unnoticed by the umpires Chris Brown and Marais Erasmus.

Hasan's argument was that if the umpires had noticed it and docked the Indian team five penalty runs, they would have been even or ahead in a match which Bangladesh lost by five runs.


"The wet outfield did have an impact when we restarted the game. But there was also a fake throw which could have got us five runs but we didn't even get that," PTI quoted Hasan as saying after the match.

The incident he was referring to happened in the seventh over, with a video recording showing that Arshdeep threw the ball from the deep and Kohli at point feigned as if he were relaying it at the non-striker's end.

Rule 41.5 of the ICC playing conditions prohibits fielding team from "deliberate, distraction, deception or obstruction of the batter". Under such a circumstance the umpire can call it a dead ball and award five penalty runs.

What Hasan didn't say was that the two batters -- Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto -- weren't even looking at Kohli and so the question of deception does not arise.

Bangladesh fell short by five runs chasing a revised target of 151 in 16 overs after a brief spell of rain. Hasan kept Bangladesh in the game in the final over with a six and a four off Arshdeep Singh, but then the Indian bowler held his nerve.