KPL 2018: Dean Jones, Vikram Raju and a time travel to 1986 tied Test

Hubli, August 22: When the afternoon KPL 2018 match between Hubli Tigers and Ballari Tuskers was abandoned due to rain on Wednesday (August 22), the former Australian batsman was in for a very pleasant surprise. He came across Vikram Raju, the umpire who became famous in Australia and infamous in India for a decision he gave in 1986 during the Madras tied Test and he's now a KSCA match referee.

"It was lovely meeting up with him. Somehow I hadn't realized he was from Bangalore, always thought he was from somewhere in North India," Jones said of the man who gave that final decision in the Madras Test between India and Australia - the second ever tie in Test history.

"I was telling Vikram that Ravi Shastri shouldn't have taken that single which exposed Maninder. But that was Ravi's call," said Jones, recalling the lbw decision won by offie Greg Mathews against India's number 11 Maninder Singh when the scores were tied. Both Maninder and Shastri maintain that the ball had hit the bat en route to the pads while Raju himself has always said that the bat was nowhere close to the ball.

The #HubliVsBallari match has been called off due to rain, let's hope the rains don't get in the way of the #BengaluruVsBijapur match!#NammaKPL #KPL2018 #BisiBisiCrickettu pic.twitter.com/evSr1QhN2d

— Namma KPL (@KPLKSCA) August 22, 2018

While Raju didn't want to bring up the decision, he did share what Jones told him: "Dean Jones told me Ravi would have been better off keeping the strike rather than complain about the decision (against Maninder) later," said the sprightly 84-year-old.

Jones didn't leave it at just catching up with Raju. He had a picture taken of the two and sent it straight to Allan Border, his skipper in that Test. "Allan was thrilled with the photo," said Jones.

The Australian, who batted for as long as 8 hours in the first innings of the Test in searing heat at the Chepauk and scored a double hundred in the process, was somewhat shocked to learn that the Madras Test was Raju's last Test.

"I didn't know that, when he told he had umpired just two Tests and that was his last Test, I was taken aback. Back in Australia he's well respected," said Jones.

The Australian, who is into his second season of the KPL and an integral part of the Star Sports commentary team, also felt that the tied Test possibly led to closer relations between India and Australia. "Look back then the ties between the two countries weren't much. That match brought the two countries together. That's what cricket can do. See how our ties have improved since," concluded Jones.