Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran suffered one of the most unusual dismissals in the Ranji Trophy game on Thursday, getting run out while casually stepping out of his crease for drinks. Batting on 81, Easwaran’s innings ended due to a rare lapse in awareness.

The incident occurred during Bengal’s sixth-round Ranji Trophy match against Services at the Kalyani Stadium. Bengal were in a strong position, with Easwaran and Sudip Chatterjee at the crease. Easwaran, eyeing his 28th first-class century, looked in control until an extraordinary moment took place just before the drinks break.

On the final ball of the 41st over, Services bowler Aditya Kumar delivered a full-length ball that Chatterjee pushed back towards him. Believing the over was complete and assuming the ball was dead, Easwaran instinctively stepped out of his crease and began walking forward to grab a sip of water.

As Aditya Kumar attempted to collect the return, the ball brushed his fingers and deflected onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Easwaran was already well out of his crease. Initially unaware of what had happened, even the bowler only realised the situation after the stumps were broken. Services tea appealed, and the on-field umpires referred the decision upstairs. The third umpire, following the laws of the game, ruled Easwaran run out.

It was entirely my fault: Easwaran 

After the day’s play, Easwaran took full responsibility for the incident. He dismissed any debate around the spirit of cricket, clearly stating that the fault was entirely his. 

"The innings was going very well, but the mistake I made surprised even me. Some might feel the opposition could've called me back in the spirit of the game, but there was no question of that. It was entirely my fault. I thought the bowler had collected the ball and instinctively moved forward," he said as quoted by ESPN.

Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla shared the same thoughts and quashed comparisons with the famous Ian Bell run-out incident during the 2011 Trent Bridge Test. Shukla stated that the circumstances were different and that Services were well within their rights to appeal. 

"They may look similar, but you cannot compare the two directly. That was a different era and different circumstances. This was simply a mistake on the batter's part. It doesn't mean he lacks awareness; he is a senior player, but cricket can be unpredictable. While the opposition could have considered calling him back, but there is nothing wrong in their decision not to. Everything happened within the laws of the game," Shukla said.