The last instance of this rare dismissal in the Ranji Trophy came in 2005-06
Shashank Kishore18-Nov-2025 • Updated on 21-Nov-2025Manipur’s Lamabam Ajay Singh fell to one of cricket’s rarest dismissals in the Ranji Trophy plate league match against Meghalaya in Surat – given out for hitting the ball twice.Ajay had defended an Aryan Bora delivery, but hit it again to gently push it in the direction of the bowler. The Meghalaya players appealed and the umpire M Madhu ruled it out after giving it some thought. No one, including the batter, protested the umpire’s decision.Clause 34.1.1 of the MCC Laws states that a striker is out hitting the ball twice if, while the ball is in play, it makes contact with any part of their body or bat, and the striker then wilfully strikes it a second time with the bat or with any part of the body (other than a hand not holding the bat), before a fielder touches the ball – except when the second strike is solely to protect their wicket.
This dismissal does not fall under obstructing the field. Nor was the batter returning the ball to any fielder by hitting it for the second time.The last instance of this rare dismissal in the Ranji Trophy came in 2005-06, when Jammu & Kashmir captain Dhruv Mahajan was ruled out in similar fashion against Jharkhand.Before that, only three other Ranji cricketers had suffered the same fate: Andhra’s K Bavanna (1963-64), J&K’s Shahid Parvez (1986-87) and Tamil Nadu’s Anand George (1998-99).Ajay’s 20-ball duck on Tuesday was part of a lower-order collapse that left Manipur conceding an 88-run lead to Meghalaya. Manipur will hope to salvage a draw from this contest; one point will be enough to help secure a top-two spot and qualify for the Plate final.
