World Cup 2015: Rohit Sharma Ton Marred with Controversy as Aleem Dar's 'No-Ball' Call Faces Outrage

Rohit Sharma in action v Bangladesh

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India crushed Bangladesh in the World Cup quarter-finals at Melbourne. Rohit Sharma scored a sparkling hundred but his seventh ODI ton, unfortunately, has run into a serious controversy.

The fourth ball of the 39th over was a waist-high full toss from Rubel Hossain. Sharma, batting on 89, clubbed it towards deep midwicket. It's not easy to clear the square boundaries at the MCG and Sharma's shot nestled safely into Imrul Kayes' hands. (Rohit Sharma Joins India's World Cup Party )

Bangladesh was ecstatic but their joy was short-lived as Aleem Dar, the umpire at the square leg, indicated that the full toss was above Sharma's waist. Ian Gould, standing at the striker's end, took his cue and signalled it as a no-ball. (Team India's Road to World Cup 2015 Semifinal )

It was a tight decision. Former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, who on commentary during the time, said: "That should have been a wicket. The ball was under the waist."

Dar was already in some discomfort. Earlier, he was bitten by a wasp and that seemed to have unsettled the experienced umpire from Pakistan.

"He (Aleem Dar) has lost his confidence," said Warne after the incident.

Even former India batsman VVS Laxman felt that it was not a no-ball.

Rohit made merry and went on to slam a match-winning 137 that knocked the stuffing out of Bangladesh.

Former West Indian captain Brian Lara however, thought that the 'bad' call had no impact on the game.

"Don't think the decision changed the game", Lara opined, "Rohit was batting beautifully and India would have got to three hundred anyway."

The former Australian skipper Ian Chappell had a funny take on the decision.

"It was a borderline decision", said Chappell, "Moreover, I don't think a bowler should be rewarded for bowling waist high full tosses."

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, though, found nothing funny about it.

"I don't want to say anything about the umpiring decisions. Everybody present saw what happened", said the medium pacer.

Bangladesh, as expected, went on to lose the game by 109 runs and India progressed to the semi-final. The Indian fans were happy but the rest of the world wasn't.

Twitter went on an outrage and Aleem Dar became a trending topic.

Here are some of the reactions from Twitter.

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Shweta Pandey

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