Anurag Kumar
Australia cruised to a 209-run victory over India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval, scoring numerous runs and securing 20 wickets to win their first WTC title. The Australian team had set India a target of 444, and while it was always a tall order, the positive start made by openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma gave the team hope.
Gill edged a delivery pitched outside off by Scot Boland, which was spectacularly caught by Cameron Green at gully, bringing an abrupt end to the initial partnership between the two players. The tall all-rounder dove to his left and snatched a world record and promptly began to celebrate, but the umpires were skeptical. The issue was escalated, and after a protracted review, the third umpire controversially ruled in favor of the team.
Indian fans, ex-cricketers, and players argued in social media clips and images that Green’s capture was not clean because he had grounded the ball during the process.
Soon after the conclusion of play on day 4, Gill took to social media to express his displeasure, posting a still image of the ball impacting the ground alongside a series of sarcastic applause emojis. His opening partner and captain, Rohit, was seen earlier discussing the judgment with the on-field umpires after Australia won.
Even after a collapse early on Day 5 gave Australia a resounding victory in the fourth innings chase, the controversy surrounding Green’s attempt to seize the ball remained at the forefront of discussions.
The Australian captain elaborated on his perspective of the capture and the decision made by TV umpire Richard Kettleborough during the press conference.
“I believed it to be a fair capture. Green was an absolute monster, and we are evidently just players. We’re on the field, so we leave it in the hands of the umpire, who is, in my opinion, the best in the world because he understands the rule books and has seen every angle. Cummins stated, “I’d probably support his decision more than emotional, ardent fans observing a large screen from 100 meters away.”
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Rohit, Cummins’ opponent, had a different account of the incident and complained that the umpire was not utilizing technology to its utmost potential. “The third umpire should have viewed a few more replays to see how the capture was held. I believe he saw it three or four times, and he was persuaded,” the Indian captain said in the post-match press conference.
“More camera angles ought to have been displayed. Approximately one or two camera angles were displayed. IPL has ten distinct angles. I was a little dismayed that no ultra-motion or zoomed images were shown during a global event of this magnitude.
