An oversight cost Rahul Dravid his wicket on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka on Thursday. India were in a good position when the one-down batsman walked in to join Virender Sehwag. But for the third time in a row, the former captain 'lost' his wicket to Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis. Dravid had scored just two runs. It was a googly that grazed his bat and pad and went straight to the fielder, Malinda Warnapura, at forward short-leg. An immediate appeal followed and Dravid began walking back to the pavilion, saving the umpire the trouble of taking what would have been a difficult decision. However, TV replays showed that the catch was deflected off Warnapura's hand and went on to hit his helmet which meant that the batsman was not out as per rules. But even as Warnapura was fumbling with the ball before completing the 'catch', Dravid had left the crease. As per laws, it is not a fair catch if the ball has touched a protective helmet, worn by a fielder, although the ball remains in play. When Sehwag was asked about the dismissal, he said, "I could not pick it up from the non-striker's end, but I felt it had hit the helmet. I feel if Sri Lankan fielders knew about it then appealing for the catch was against the spirit of the game."
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