Gautam Gambhir left in disbelief as ICC rule breach puts India on the brink in SL ODI series

Gautam Gambhir is facing the possibility of his first series loss as the head coach of the Indian men's team after Sri Lanka put them in a challenging position in the ongoing three-match ODI series. In a surprising turn of events, the Lankan spinners managed to force a tie in the first ODI, coming back from a situation where India needed just one run to win. The home team then shocked the visitors by winning the second ODI by 32 runs, giving Sri Lanka an unbeatable 1-0 lead in the series. India now finds themselves in a do-or-die situation as they fight to stay in the competition.

As proceedings head to the final match of India's white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, which included a T20I series where the Suryakumar Yadav-led side whitewashed the Islanders 3-0, the debate around the opening ODI game remained, where the ICC match officials forwent a Super Over to enforce a result out of the tied match.

While tie-breakers are believed to decide the result only in ICC and other multi-nation tournaments, a Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) official, speaking to Mid Day on condition of anonymity, revealed that the Super Over was an option to decide the result in the first ODI match of the series, based on the ICC's December 2023 ODI playing conditions. The playing condition did get a mention in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by both boards.

According to Clause 16.3.1.1 of the ICC Men's ODI Playing Conditions, which was last amended in December 2023, the result of all ODI matches ending in a tie will be settled through a Super Over, unless conditions deny don't allow it to be played. It states: "If the team’s scores are equal after both innings have been completed then a Super Over shall be played. If the Super Over is a tie, then unless exceptional circumstances arise, subsequent Super Overs shall be played until there is a winner. Should it not be possible to play or complete the Super Overs needed to determine a winner, the match shall be tied.”

Despite the rule, the Super Over was shockingly omitted from the first ODI and the match officials involved - match Referee Ranjan Madugalle, On-field Umpires Joel Wilson and Raveendra Wimalasiri, Reserve Umpire Ruchira Pallyaguruge, and TV Umpire Paul Reiffel - are yet to make an official statement on last week's game.

Not only did the error from the ICC match officials deny fans a proper end to that nail-biting clash in Colombo, but also deprived both India and Sri Lanka chance to force a result in that game, which could have even decided the series. India could have found won the tie-breaker, as they did in the final T20I match against Sri Lanka last week, which could have still left them in a do-or-die situation given that the home team won the second game; meanwhile, Charith Asalanka's team could have stunned India in the Super Over and claimed the series by now, leaving the third match a dead rubber.

In a separate report published in The Morning Telegraph, an ICC official stated that if another match in the series ends in a tie, a Super Over will be enforced as per the regulations. "Two wrongs won’t make one right," the unnamed ICC official has been quoted as saying.

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