WATCH: Ruturaj Gaikwad criticises Services, umpiring after Ankit Bawne gets dismissed in controversial fashion

Controversy erupted on Day 2 between Maharashtra and Services in the ongoing edition of the Ranji Trophy. The fourth round of the premier red-ball competition witnessed a contentious call during the match which was being played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. 

Skipper of the home side, Ankit Bawne, was in the thick of it, and had to suffer. In pursuit of Services' first innings total of 293, Bawne was looking set for a big one after notching up his 41st first-class half-century. Batting on 73, he edged a delivery off left-arm spinner, Amit Shukla, to a close-in second slip under the lid. As soon as the supposed catch had been completed, the fielders appealed and without much hesitation, the on-field umpires adjudged that the ball had carried.

With no DRS available for the Ranji Trophy, Bawne had no option but to trudge back to the pavilion. However, the replays showed an entirely different picture. The ball had in fact clearly bounced on its way to Shubham Rohilla. This exasperated India and Bawne's state teammate, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who expressed his dissatisfaction with the umpiring as well as the lack of sportsmanship while sharing the clip on his Instagram story. 

Also Read: Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Shreyas Iyer smashes third first-class double hundred

Maharashtra fold for 185, Services gain upper hand in game

Bawne's dismissal saw the tail getting cleaned up in no time. 21-year-old Shukla ended up with career-best figures of 7/65. For Maharashtra, Sachin Dhas was the only other batter to have scored more than 20.

At Stumps, Services ended on 15 for no loss. Having taken the first innings lead, the visitors will be looking to add on to the advantage and truly capitalize on the present situation. 

At the moment, Ruturaj is leading India A against Australia A in the second unofficial Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He was dismissed for a cheap score of four earlier today, to leave his side reeling at 11/4 within the third over of the day.