‘It was dead’: Umpire Ian Gould talks about Sachin Tendulkar’s LBW to Saeed Ajmal in World Cup 2011

Bengaluru: It has been nine years since that game in Mohali but debates continue over Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal. The contest we are talking about is the India versus Pakistan semi-final at the ICC World Cup 2011. In that match, Tendulkar was given out LBW to Saeed Ajmal but Tendulkar successfully used DRS (Decision Review System) and continued to bat. Now, the umpire who made that decision in that high-voltage encounter has spoken about that dismissal. Here is what English umpire Ian Gould said about that decision nine years ago (March 30, 2011).

Tendulkar won the Man-of-the-match award in that game.

Tendulkar went on to make 85 and India won the match to enter the final of the World Cup 2011.

Tendulkar made 85 off 115 balls with 11 boundaries. Ajmal finally dismissed Tendulkar on 85, caught by Shahid Afridi.

Seen here are Pakistan players celebrating Tendulkar's dismissal (LBW) to Ajmal. Their joy was short-lived.

This is the HawkEye image of Tendulkar's LBW dismissal. Ajmal was stunned by HawkEye as he said he bowled an arm-ball not not an off-spinner. HawkEye showed that the ball would have missed legstump.

Gould had to overturn his decision after DRS was used by Tendulkar. At the time, Tendulkar was on 23 and it was the 11th over of the innings, bowled by off-spinner Ajmal.

Speaking about the dismissal, Gould told ESPNCricinfo, "Don't go down that road. I get teased about that. People send me pictures of my reaction after I was told in my ear by Billy Bowden that it was missing leg stump. It makes me laugh. It didn't make me laugh at the time, I can assure you. But I'd give it out again with my back to the wall. It was dead. I don't know what happened."

Gould may stand by his decision even today but HawkEye had justified the overturning of the original verdict. Back then, Stephen Carter, managing director of Hawk-Eye Innovations had told The Guardian, "The path Hawk-Eye showed was accurate and the Decision Review System was used correctly to overturn the umpire's original decision. The Hawk-Eye track lines up perfectly with the video of the real ball from release to impact point."

"It was straight in front and I was 100 per cent sure he was out. Shahid Afridi, Kamran, Wahab and other players asked me was he (Tendulkar) out and I told them he is gone," Ajmal said recently.

“Even today, the third umpire's decision baffles me. Maybe luck was with him that day and he went on play such a crucial innings for his team,” Ajmal said. The TV umpire in that game was New Zealand's Billy Bowden. Gould's on-field partner was Simon Taufel of Australia.