2019 Cricket World Cup: Indian fans fire up over Martin Guptill's 'surgical strike' - was amazing run out legal?

The television graphic which appeared to show New Zealand had too many players outside of the circle. Photo / Sky TV and Getty

Indian fans have erupted after a TV graphic appeared to show New Zealand broke the fielding rules when Martin Guptill produced his match sealing runout in the Cricket World Cup semifinal.

Guptill's brilliant throw - labelled a "surgical strike" by one fan - to strand MS Dhoni is being hailed around the world.

The Indian veteran was close to masterminding another one of his great rear-guard acts when Guptill struck with a direct throw to the stumps at Old Trafford.

Television coverage included a graphic which showed New Zealand having six fielders outside the circle, as Kane Williamson adjusted his field by sending Guptill back.

But analysis of the moment appears to show that Williamson compensated for this change by bringing Colin de Grandhomme up from third man, making New Zealand's fielding strategy legal.

Dhoni would still have been out on a retrospective ruling because a run out is the one form of dismissal allowed on a no-ball.

But some fans believe, probably mistakenly, that Guptill should not have been in a position to make his wonder throw.

"This is a matter of serious concern," one Tweet groaned. "If Guptill was inside the circle, there would have been a possibility that he wouldn't have been run out."

Issue is not the fact that there would anyway have been a run out off a no ball. Had Guptill been the fielder inside the circle Dhoni may not have gone for the 2nd run.

— Sumanth Raman (@sumanthraman) July 10, 2019

The ball before @msdhoni was run out. Martin Guptill was pushed back to fine leg. There were six fielders outside the ring and the umpires messed up big time. A simple check by the umpires would have changed the course of the match @ICC pic.twitter.com/1s3BATrdiM

— Kanishk Johri (@KanishkJohri) July 10, 2019

In the end, Guptill's superb throw left India needing 25 off nine balls, and without the experienced Dhoni at the crease, they had no hope, falling 18 runs short.

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