An extremely rare occurrence happened during the Ranji Trophy Plate League match in Surat when Manipur batter Lamabam Ajay Singh was given out for hitting the ball twice. The rare dismissal was against Meghalaya's Aryan Bora and immediately became the talk of the domestic circuit. The decision also entered the record books as the first such dismissal by a batter since the 2005-06 season in Ranji Trophy cricket. Ajay, batting on 0 off 19 balls, played a delivery by Bora defensively. The ball started rolling back into the stumps after initial impact. Ajay used his bat to push that away from the stumps in an effort to stop the ball from dislodging the bails, a move perfectly legal if only done to protect the wicket. However, the on-field umpire, Dharmesh Bhardwaj, gave Ajay out for “hit the ball twice." Ajay did not protest the decision and walked off as Meghalaya appealed. Also Read | First Look at Guwahati Pitch Ahead of India vs South Africa 2nd Test What the Law Says About Hitting the Ball Twice MCC Law 34 states that a batter can be considered out for hitting the ball twice in case of wilfully hitting the ball again while in play except in the instance of stopping it from hitting the stumps. In this regard, the law states that a batsman is within his rights to defend the wicket with the bat, body, or equipment as long as it is to simply prevent the ball from hitting the stumps. Here, the act of Ajay seemed to come within the legal exception, as he was only trying to save the ball from crashing onto the stumps. As a result, many fans and experts felt that the batter should not be given out, questioning the decision of the umpire. Also Read | Ravichandran Ashwin Criticises Umpiring in Ranji Trophy for Casual Appeal Handling A Very Rare Ranji Trophy Dismissal That of hitting the ball twice is one of the rarest dismissals in cricket. In the long history of the Ranji Trophy, only five players before Ajay had been out this way. His dismissal now becomes the sixth such incident. Ranji Trophy 'Hit the Ball Twice' Dismissals Player Team Season K Bavanna Andhra 1963–64 Shahid Parvez Jammu & Kashmir 1986–87 Anand George Tamil Nadu 1998–99 Dhruv Mahajan Jammu & Kashmir 2005–06 Lamabam Ajay Singh Manipur 2025–26