The former umpire stated that he was in disbelief after he saw the ball missing the leg-stump during the review
The former International Cricket Council (ICC) Elite Panel Umpire Ian Gould, in an interview with BBC 5 Live Sport, has revealed that he would stick with his original decision, while referring to his infamously overturned leg before wicket (LBW) decision after Pakistan’s former off-spinner Saeed Ajmal caught India’s legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar on the pads, during the 2011 World Cup semi-final between the two countries in Mohali.
The 62-year-old claimed that he was initially happy when he saw Tendulkar about to leave before the latter turned around and asked for a review.
"When I gave him out at Mohali, I'm thinking this is out. I will sit here and guarantee you, if I see it again, I'd still give it out, simple as that. He talked to Gambhir and looked like he was going to walk out, and I'm thinking thank God for that, then he spun on his heels and made that T sign and the world stopped,” said Gould.
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“Eventually, Billy Bowden told me 'It's missing leg, I need you to change your decision.' Well, no disrespect to him, but I was watching on a 90-foot screen showing me it was missing leg by an inch so I didn't really need his analysis. I've got a picture here where I'm looking slightly disgruntled or annoyed as I gave them not out,” he added.
Gould revealed that he feared another ball hitting the pads after that overturned decision.
“My biggest fear after that was that I didn't want another ball to hit anybody on the pad, my mind had gone. I had the brilliant Simon Taufel with me who kept me going. At the end of it, it's just one of those moments. When the ball hit the pad, all I saw was a quicker ball from Ajmal and it thudded into the pads and went to square leg. It was just right, he's out. Sorry, you're out. I don't care who you are, Sachin or anybody, you're out,” he said.
The former umpire stated that he was in disbelief after he saw the ball missing the leg-stump during the review.
“It does affect you at some stage but what you have to do is like a player, get rid of it as soon as you can. My problem was the disbelief of that thing missing leg-stump, in my mind it was one of those straightforward ones, gone," he said.
"You can't be walking through many airports when you've just given Sachin out LBW sliding down the leg-side. You'll want to find a dress shop, get a wig and a beard and start limping,” he concluded.