Ajinkya Rahane run out sparks controversial Tim Paine comparison

Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane’s knock was cruelly cut short but some believed his run out cast more doubt on Tim Paine’s lucky escape.

This is as close as it gets.

Ajinkya Rahane’s run out in the opening session on day three of the Boxing Day Test brought back memories of Tim Paine’s controversial escape as some cricket fans questioned why different decisions were made.

Rahane was caught agonisingly short of his ground after being called through for a quick single by Ravindra Jadeja, and was out for 112.

The third umpire only needed one angle to be convinced none of Rahane’s bat was over the crease line at the moment the bails were dislodged.

On day one, everyone thought Paine was run out by a similar margin, only for the video official to give him a reprieve. From one camera angle, it looked like Paine hadn’t made his ground, while from a different angle, it looked like some of his bat may have just scraped over the line.

Paine’s survival angered plenty of viewers, as Shane Warne led the chorus of disbelief about how the Aussie captain was allowed to keep batting.

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra tweeted at the time Paine was definitely out and appeared to suggest he may have benefited from the Test being officiated by Australian umpires.

After Rahane was sent packing, Chopra alluded to the Paine controversy by tweeting: “Check the other angle too … #Rahane #Paine.”

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Rahane missed it by a millimetre.

Tim Paine was lucky to survive.

ESPN Cricinfo reporter Daniel Brettig suggested Rahane copped a raw deal after Paine’s escape.

“Rahane is ‘out’ by about the same margin Paine was ‘in’,” he tweeted. “They were both marginally out.”

Rick Eyre wrote: “Dreadful call that deserved a run out but I reckon that was in the same margins of doubt as Paine the other day.”

Former Australian umpire Simon Taufel believes the correct decision was made with Rahane though, telling Channel 7: “Unlike the first decision (with Paine) which was really tight, which was probably a half-framer, the third umpire has actually got a shot here of the separation point (of the bails) and the bat on the line.

“You actually have got complete separation … you can actually see that it has lifted from the top.”

Former New Zealand paceman Andre Adams also weigh in. “Rahane was clearly out. Paine was out depending on the angle and how closely you looked,” he tweeted.

“I agree though that I thought he was out and that there should be super slo mo for run out/stumping chances.”

Simon Taufel says this split-image proves Rahane was out.