'Is it legal?' - Sunil Gavaskar questions Roston Chase for taping his entire palm during 1st T20I

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar made an interesting observation during the first T20I between India and West Indies on Wednesday (February 16). Caribbean all-rounder Roston Chase was spotted covering his entire palm with black tape and the same left Gavaskar baffled. Notably, fielders tend to use tapes to cover fingers but Chase covering his entire palm was not a usual sight. The Indian batting legend, who was commentating during the game, questioned the legality of Chase’s actions.

It must be noted that Chase, who’s an off-spinner, had a memorable day with the ball. He gave away with just 14 runs in his quota of four overs and dismissed both Indian openers, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan. His efforts, however, went in vain as the hosts comfortably recorded a six-wicket win at Eden Gardens.

Taping fingers shouldn’t be allowed: Sunil Gavaskar

While many lauded the all-rounder’s impressive show, Gavaskar raised questions over his action. “What is that? Is he wearing gloves? Is it legal, is it even allowed? Is it a bandage? What is it? We see that quite often in cricket today. A lot of fielders today wear that. I can understand putting it just at the base of fingers…one can understand protecting the webbing but this is at the palm,” he said on air.

Giving his take on the matter, fellow commentator Deep Dasgupta then said:”An extra bit of protection. As you mentioned, the fingers are alright but then there are times a type of padding. Not just a bandage, but at times there is a layer of padding to protect the soft tissues.”

Gavaskar then added that even fielders shouldn’t be allowed to tape their fingers as it helps them getting the hold of the ball. Hence, it gives an unfair advantage to the fielding team.

“This can give you advantage when the catch comes or the ball comes. It’s become very regular. Lot of players wear it. Padding or no padding… it shouldn’t be there. Unless of course, the rules have changed, in which case it’s fine. There are so many rule changes that one fails to warp his head around them,” mentioned Gavaskar.

Speaking of how the game panned out, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi put up a terrific show on debut as West Indies posted 157/7 in their allotted 20 overs. India chased down the total in 18.5 overs, clinching the contest by six wickets.