Follow UsIt is not often that a decision not involving the Leg Before Wicket (LBW) call comes into contention and limelight in the Ranji Trophy. But one of the last set of league matches in the Plate Group of Ranji Trophy 2025-26 saw one batter, Manipur’s Ajay Singh, given out for hitting the ball twice against Meghalaya in a match held in Surat.
Yes, you read it right the first time. A batter was given out for hitting the ball twice. It was not obstructing the field, but purely hitting the ball twice. How did this happen? Well, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin beautifully explained the situation through his post on X.
After defending the ball while batting on zero in the first innings, Ajay saw that it was going towards his stumps and therefore he intervened and stopped the ball with his bat. While this is normal practice, batters usually prefer their foot to do the stopping.
Is it okay to stop the ball with the bat according to cricket rules?
To answer this question, here is a look at what the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)’s laws of cricket say. In Clause 34.1.1, it is said, “A striker is out ‘hit the ball twice’ if, while the ball is in play, it makes contact with any part of their body or bat, and the striker then wilfully strikes it a second time with the bat or with any part of the body (other than a hand not holding the bat), before a fielder touches the ball – except when the second strike is solely to protect their wicket.”
So, according to the rule, the batter could have protected his wicket as his intention was solely to do that and not take a run. However, a report on ESPNcricinfo suggested that the batter himself didn’t protest the umpire’s decision.