India and Australia played a balanced game on Day 4 of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship final at The Oval on Saturday, June 10. Australia put a 444-run target after declaring their second innings on 270/8 but India replied strongly by pulling 164 runs at the end of the day’s play. Ahead of the final day, India need 280 runs and Australia need seven wickets to win the WTC 2023 title.
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave India a flying start in their world record chase in the fourth innings. Australia’s first success came through Gill’s controversial dismissal of Scott Boland’s delivery in the eighth over. Cameron Green displayed a brilliant effort at slip to take a one-handed diving catch to dismiss the Indian opener who scored 18 off 19.
However, the ball seemed to touch the ground at the same time the all-rounder grasped his fingers on the ball. It was an impossible task for the on-field umpires who sent it upstairs for TV umpire Richard Kettleborough to decide, who ruled it as a catch. Gill and Rohit were in disbelief at the third umpire’s decision and the crowd at The Oval booed the decision when Gil walked off the pitch.
After the end of the Day 4 play, Green gave his honest verdict on his catch to dismiss Gill. He said that it was a clean effort from him and he had no doubt regarding the ball touching the ground.
“At the time I definitely thought I caught it,” Green said to ICC after Day 4 play. “I think in the heat of the moment, I thought it was clean and threw it up and obviously showed no sign of any doubt. And then it’s left up to the third umpire (Richard Kettleborough) and he agreed.”
Meanwhile, Gill let out his frustration at the umpires by posting a Tweet after the game. As expected, the former Australian cricketers Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer sided with Kettleborough’s decision while Indian stars Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer slammed the third umpire for such a controversial decision in the WTC final.
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