After Facing Lot Of Criticism, Matt Renshaw Revealed Why He Suddenly Went Off The Field
Matt Renshaw’s toilet break did have an impact on the Test as it meant Australia had two new batsmen at the crease. The 20-year-old opening batsman was just 15 minutes away from the lunch break when his partner David Warner was bowled for 38, leaving him to hold the fort.
Renshaw was criticized by former Australia captains Allan Border and Michael Clarke for leaving mid-way through his innings and rushing off the field for a toilet break. The 20-year-old quickly explained to his captain that he needed to go to the toilet as he was suffering from a stomach bug. Umpire Nigel Llong then cleared Renshaw to retire ill so that he could go off the field unbeaten on 36.
Matt Renshaw’s Confession:
Matt Renshaw said Australia captain Steve Smith wasn’t thrilled when an upset stomach forced him to retire ill in the first session of Day 1 of the Pune Test against India but he didn’t have a choice against nature’s call. It was the 28th over of the Australian innings and right after Warner was dismissed by Umesh Yadav in his first over of the day, Matt Renshaw was seen sprinting back to the dressing room after ‘retiring ill’.
“It came pretty suddenly… probably about five or ten minutes before Davey (David Warner) got out. I asked Richard (Kettleborough, the umpire) how long was it before lunch and he told me it was still around half-an-hour. It wasn’t an ideal situation to be in. I didn’t know whether it was retired out or retired ill so I had to ensure I knew that bit first,” said Renshaw.
Renshaw had spoken to his captain Steve Smith later in the lunch break to sort out the confusion. “He wasn’t particularly thrilled about it but he understands that when you need to go to the toilet, you have to go to the toilet. It wasn’t an ideal scenario so that (the break) was life, pretty much,” he said.
“No amount of concentration and temperament can hold you back when you need to go to the toilet,” he said.
Renshaw also added that he didn’t know the rules regarding this,
“I wasn’t too sure on the ruling,” he explained. “I didn’t know you could retire ill so I thought I just had to get out there and make sure I batted until lunch.
“Then coming back it was probably a bit strange for me waiting to bat because as an opener you just go straight out there and bat. That was probably the most challenging bit, waiting to bat. I felt quite bad knowing that I could be letting the team down, so that’s why I went back out there,” Renshaw explained.
Renshaw, however, came out after the fall of the third wicket and paced his innings well before being dismissed by Ravichandran Ashwin. “I knew I could be letting the team down and hence wanted to go out there and do my bit and just make sure that we had a pretty good day,” he said.