Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena found himself in the middle of a fresh controversy during the first day of the fifth Test between India and England. Fans got angry on social media after he made a hand gesture that helped England decide not to take a review.
Dharmasena’s Signal Helped England Save DRS
The moment happened in the first session, during the 13th over. Josh Tongue bowled a full delivery to Sai Sudharsan, who was hit on the pad. England players appealed for LBW, but Dharmasena gave it not out.
Why is Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena telling the English bowler that it’s a clear edge by showing his fingers?@ICC what’s going on ? Clearly he is fixing there because he showed that signal that’s why English fielders don’t appeal after that and don’t go for review… pic.twitter.com/hkqu6UFd2X
— MK (@mkr4411) July 31, 2025
Is Kumar Dharmasena Helping England Bowlers ??
By explaining the reason of Denying an appeal 🤔🤔#INDvsENG #INDvsENGTest pic.twitter.com/Chu6RitSAq
— Mayank (@mayankcdp) July 31, 2025
Right after the appeal, Dharmasena was seen making a hand gesture telling the England players that the ball hit the bat. This was before the 15-second DRS timer ended.
That small gesture made Pope and England decide not to go for the review. Later, replays showed the ball had touched the bat, so the umpire’s signal did save a review.
Fans Slam Kumar Dharmasena Over Cheating Accusations
After the incident, many fans on social media said Dharmasena helped England unfairly. They said an umpire should not give away hints before the bowling team decides to take DRS or not.
One fan wrote that it looked like “cheating in broad daylight”. People said umpires must stay neutral and not say anything unless asked officially.
Former England captain Michael Atherton also gave his thoughts. He said, “India will want England to lose a review for the incident.” His comment showed even experts noticed the moment and weren’t happy.
Ollie Pope Gets First Right DRS Call as Captain
Earlier in the match, England did get one DRS review right. Gus Atkinson got Jaiswal LBW, but the umpire on-field gave it not out. Pope went for the review, and ball-tracking showed it was hitting the stumps. So the decision was changed to out.
This was a special moment for Ollie Pope, who had never got a DRS right while captaining England in four Tests before this. He had made 14 DRS calls before this and all were wrong.
So finally, he got one review right under his name as captain.
India Reach 72/2 at Lunch on Day 1
At lunch, India were 72 for 2 after being asked to bat first by England. Jaiswal got out early, and Sudharsan survived a close LBW call.
England bowlers started well, but the Dharmasena incident got more attention than the match itself. Fans will be watching closely to see if there’s more drama as the game goes on.
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