Ayush Mhatre had a nervy moment after Sanju Samson’s dismissal on Friday in Chennai. With the Chennai Super Kings opener losing his wicket to Xavier Bartlett in the final ball of the second over, Mhatre arrived at No. 3, but first had to undergo a bat test.
Initially, his bat didn’t pass through the gauge. To add more awkwardness to the bizarreness of it all, his second bat also didn’t pass through the gauge. Then the umpire tested his first bat again and realised he wasn’t holding the gauge correctly to measure it. On realising, the first bat passed through the gauge, and the match resumed.
‘Oh my god!’: Michael Clarke
Reacting to the incident, commentator Ian Bishop explained, “The gauge was upside down.”
Meanwhile, co-commentator Michael Clarke exclaimed, “Oh my god!”
The former Aussie player continued, “Oh my god!”
Clarke’s reaction perfectly summed up the sequence of events in a world-class cricket tournament like the Indian Premier League.
Nervy moment for Ayush Mhatre
It was a nervy moment for Mhatre and his team, given Samson’s early dismissal. Receiving a length delivery on middle and off, Samson tried to go inside-out, but ended up nicking it to Prabhsimran behind the stumps for a catch. The India international departed for seven off seven balls.
The incident also left fans in stitches. Reacting to the incident, one fan wrote on X, “LOL…Umpire put the gauge to measure the bat thickness upside down and it didn’t pass through Ayush Mhatre’s bat. Sub ran in to give two more bats and those didn’t go through either before the ump realises he’s putting it upside down. Original bat passes then Ultimate.”
“A funny drama happened at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Umpire reviewed Ayush Mhatre’s bats with the Upside down device which made him call for the next bat but later the umpire smiled for his foolishness. finally All good. Things happened by the umpires as well,” another fan added.
There have been some controversial bat-test incidents in the past, such as in 2026, when Rahul Tewatia was forced to change his bat after it failed the on-field gauge test before he could face a single ball. In the past, even Sunil Narine, Anrich Nortje and Andre Russell have failed bat tests.
