"He said 'we won't win when Paul Reiffel is there'" - R Ashwin narrates incident during ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

R Ashwin recently commented on umpire Paul Reiffel's questionable on-field decisions during India's ongoing Lord's Test against England in London. He revealed that while watching the match on Day 4, his father remarked that India wouldn't win the match with Reiffel as the umpire.

Reiffel is part of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Elite Panel of Umpires. However, he came under the scanner for giving a couple of decisions against India's favor on Day 4.

Revealing his father's statement on the veteran umpire, Ashwin said in the latest YouTube video of his channel, 'Ash ki Baat', (from 8:24):

"My father was watching the match with me and he said, 'We won't win when Paul Reiffel is there'."

Reiffel got flak for adjudging Team India skipper Shubman Gill out caught behind in the final moments of Day 4. The batter ultimately survived after taking a DRS as replays showed that the ball was nowhere close to the bat.

The incident took place in the 15th over of India's second innings. Reacting to the call, Ashwin joked that the gap between Gill's bat and the ball was so big that even a car could pass through it.

"Look at Shubman Gill's example. My sedan car can go through the gap between the bat and the ball. When I saw it for the first time, it clearly seemed as if it was not out," he remarked (from 8:07).

Meanwhile, India are required to chase down a 193-run target in the fourth innings at Lord's. They lost four early wickets towards the end of Day 4, finishing 58/4 at Stumps.

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"He always feels it is not out when India are bowling" - R Ashwin takes a dig at Paul Reiffel

R Ashwin further suggested that Paul Reiffel more often than not feels that the batter is not out when Team India are bowling. He opined that the ICC should step in if multiple sides have a similar issue with Reiffel.

The former Team India spinner said in the same video (from 7:37):

"From my experience with Paul Reiffel, you need to talk to him a bit, you have to set him up. I am not saying that you have to tell him to give out. He always feels it is not out when India are bowling, and when India are batting, he always feels it is out. If it's not happening just with India, and he is doing so against all teams, the ICC will have to look into it."

It is worth mentioning that England's Joe Root survived an LBW shout off Mohammed Siraj's bowling in the side's second innings. He was struck on the pads in front of the middle stump, and Reiffel adjudged it as not out.

India opted for a review, but Root survived as ball-tracking showed 'umpire's call', indicating that the ball would have just gone on to brush the leg stump.

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Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai