Fans could have witnessed Rohit Sharma's ton if the game was played after 4 months

India began their Champions Trophy 2017 campaign on a winning note. On Sunday at Edgbaston, Birmingham, they handed a thrashing defeat to their arch-rivals in a rain-curtailed match. Pakistan fell short of the humongous 324 runs target by 124 runs. Mohammad Amir started off the proceedings well for the Men in Green. But a steady partnership between openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan paved the way for putting a mammoth total.

Rohit was nearing his 11th ODI century. It was in the 37th over when skipper Virat Kohli hit a delivery from Shadab Khan straight to the fielder at point and started for a quick single. Babar Azam, the fielder at point made no mistake in picking up the ball and throwing it to the wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmad.

Rohit put in a desperate dive and would have completed the run had he been able to ground his bat properly. But unfortunately for him, the bat was in the air and he was rightfully declared out by the third umpire.

What does the law states?

Law 29 (a) of the MCC Laws of Cricket states that “A batsman shall be considered to be out of his ground unless his bat or some part of his person is grounded behind the popping crease at that end.” But this rule is valid only until the 1st of October.

According to the new rules, a batsman will not be declared out if his bat is in the air and not grounded, provided that the bat must cross the popping crease.

“The ‘bouncing bat’ run out is when a batsman makes his ground and, while still running, loses contact with the ground beyond the popping crease. It could be his bat or any part of the body that loses contact. If a running or diving batsman has grounded his bat or his person beyond the popping crease, and has continued momentum towards the stumps and beyond, he will be deemed to be within his ground (even) if his bat or person subsequently loses contact with the ground,” said the manager of MCC Cricket Academy Fraser Stewart.