India VS Pakistan T20 World Cup 2022 - Explained: The No-Ball, Free Hit and Dead Ball Controversies

The biggest of them all was when Mohammad Nawaz was adjudged to have bowled a no-ball off the fourth ball in the final over. 

It was given as a waist-high no-ball, but subsequent replays showed that it was actually at a comfortable height for Virat Kohli to play. 

However, to make things worse, the subsequent free hit saw another controversy emerge. Nawaz managed to hit the stumps, which the Pakistan players thought would lead to a dead ball call. 

But Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik ran three runs – much to the chagrin of the Pakistani players on the field. Yet it is worth noting that the umpires got this spot on. 

Since a player cannot be bowled off a free hit, it remains in play if the ball hits the stumps. Therefore, Kohli and Karthik were well within their rights to take the runs when they did – which is why the umpires stuck to their initial ruling. 

Thus, off the free hit, the Pakistan players wanted a dead ball to be called, but, correctly, it wasn't. Yet it is worth noting that even when the Indians were bowling, there was one moment of controversy. 

Shan Masood was granted quite the reprieve when he was just 30. Hardik Pandya managed to get him to sky one ball, which would have been a simple catch for the fielder. 

However, the ball hit the spider cam – and was thus deemed a dead ball. To say that Rohit Sharma and co. were unhappy would be an understatement. 

While Rohit angrily spoke to the umpire, Pandya shouted at the camera – in a visual that was both understandable and somewhat amusing at the same time. 

It led to a lot of debate over whether or not the spider camera should even be kept in the game anymore, given it's more of a hindrance to the game. 

But how the umpires called it was spot on. They did not go against the rules in any way, so there is no need for this to be made any further of an issue. 

Incidentally, the only call the umpires got wrong was the no-ball off Nawaz's 20th over – and that, too, was one wherein they could have gotten no help from the third umpires since they are not allowed to intervene in this particular scenario. 

However, credit must be given to the Pakistan team for not making a massive fuss over this in the post-match presentation or press conference. 

While it was clear they were not happy about the matter, they instead focused on the fact that the match would likely have been lost by them anyway. 

In truth, the best way to deal with this situation is to accept it and move forward. Was it unlucky? Yes, but it was just that – bad luck and nothing else.