Sydney, January 3 (UITV) – An interesting incident happened in the match being played at Sydney Cricket Ground, when Australian fast bowler Scott Boland dismissed Indian batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal. After this wicket, Boland was about to move towards his second success, when his ball touched the outside edge of Virat Kohli’s bat and the ball went to Steve Smith standing at second slip. Smith caught the ball while diving, but seeing his balance deteriorating, he threw the ball in the air and handed it to Marnus Labuschagne standing in the gully. However, TV umpire Joel Wilson re-analyzed the incident from different camera angles and declared Kohli not out.
During the lunch break, Steve Smith expressed his opinion on this decision while talking to broadcaster Fox Sports. Smith said that he had caught the catch clearly and it was impossible to say that the ball had hit the ground. He said, “It was a clear catch, but the umpire’s decision has come and we should move forward now.” On this, former Australian fast bowler and cricket analyst Glenn McGrath gave his reaction on ABC Sport. He called it a 50/50 decision, but according to him the ball never touched the ground and Kohli was out. He said, “As a cricketer, we all think he is out, because the ball never touched the ground. If I was batting, I would probably have left the field happily, but I have no objection to him being on the field.” Former England captain Michael Vaughan also gave his opinion on this incident on Fox Sports. He said, “Sometimes the batsman needs luck and I think this time Virat Kohli got luck on the first ball. I believe he was out and Australia should have got their third wicket.” Vaughan also said that it seemed that Smith had clearly taken the catch, but the umpire’s decision should be respected. Australia’s women’s cricket team captain Alyssa Healy also expressed her opinion on this issue. He said, “It was a difficult decision because if seen in live motion, it appears that the ball is going to Smith with an outside edge. Smith clearly felt that his hand was under the ball, but in modern cricket, if it is seen that even a small part of the ball can be on the ground, then the umpire has to decide that it is not out.”
Former Australian opener and coach Justin Langer also gave his opinion about this catch. On Channel Seven, he said, “According to me, Kohli was out. Smith’s fingers were under the ball. I feel that he was trying to bounce the ball straight up. According to me, the fingers were still under the ball and it should have been a great catch.” Langer called it a great moment in the game of cricket, in which players put in their full effort and impact.
One thing is clear in this whole situation that in cricket, there is often uncertainty with the decision and this incident is also an example of that. The decision given by the umpire is ultimately valid, but there are different opinions of players and analysts inside the game. This shows that cricket is a complex game, in which some questions and discussion issues can arise after every decision.
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After this situation, it can also be understood how difficult it is to maintain a balance between the technical camera and the decision of the field umpire. The umpire has to decide by looking at each situation impartially and sometimes he can change the decision by looking at the situation in the live match. Despite this, the love and respect of the players and fans towards the game always remains, which makes cricket such a wonderful and exciting game.
