During the Champions Trophy 2025 match against Pakistan, Virat Kohli was nearly dismissed for ‘obstructing the field’ after casually stopping a throw with his hand while at the non-striker’s end. Although he was safe, legendary captain Sunil Gavaskar criticized the act, warning that an appeal from the fielders could have led to his dismissal. According to MCC rules, a batter can be out for obstructing the field if they wilfully distract the fielding side. Fortunately, no Pakistani fielder appealed, and Kohli went on to score an unbeaten century, leading India to a comfortable victory and nearing semi-final qualification.
Virat Kohli received an incredible reprieve after narrowly avoiding an ‘obstructing the field’ dismissal during the Champions Trophy 2025 match against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday. While India was batting, Kohli casually stopped a throw from a Pakistani fielder with his hand after safely crossing the crease at the non-striker’s end. Although Kohli was in no danger, this move did not sit well with legendary Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar, who noted that Kohli could have faced dismissal for ‘obstructing the field’ had any Pakistani fielder chosen to appeal. Gavaskar also cautioned the star batter against attempting such actions in the future.
Virat Kohli handled the ball with his hand, but fortunately, no Pakistani fielder appealed for Obstructing the Field.
There was also no Pakistani fielder available for backup. pic.twitter.com/DDHMKfEYu7
— (@_VK86) February 23, 2025
Here’s a brief overview of the MCC rules regarding ‘Obstructing The Field’ dismissal:
37.1.1 Either batter is out Obstructing the field if, except in the circumstances of 37.2, and while the ball is in play, he/she wilfully attempts to obstruct or distract the fielding side by word or action. See also Law 34 (Hit the ball twice).
37.1.2 The striker is out Obstructing the field if, except in the circumstances of 37.2, while receiving a ball delivered by the bowler, he/she wilfully strikes the ball with a hand not holding the bat. This applies whether it is the first strike or a second or subsequent strike. The act of receiving the ball includes both playing at the ball and striking it more than once in defense of his/her wicket.
37.1.3 This Law will apply whether or not a No ball is called.
Ultimately, Virat went on to score an unbeaten century as India successfully chased down the target of 242 runs against Pakistan, effectively securing their spot in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy.
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