Adam Gilchrist has hinted in his autobiography that Andrew Symonds should have "walked" after getting a nick on way to his big hundred during the spiteful Sydney Test but contradicted himself by saying that he felt uneasy when the all-rounder admitted the umpire's error.
Symonds made 162
in Australia's first innings in the second Test against India which was marred by umpiring errors and racial abuse controversy and he later admitted at a press conference that he had a big nick.
"... The second Test was overshadowed by controversy around some bad umpiring decision. Symo, early in his innings, nicked one off Ishant Sharma. The umpire erred, neither hearing nor seeing the deflection. It drew me, because of my stance on walking. By not walking, Symo was giving ammunition to all those who accused Australia of not playing in the right spirit," Gilchrist wrote in his yet-to-be published autobiography 'True Colours'.
"To make matters worse, Symo made a big hundred. To make matters really worse, at his press conference Symo admitted, in a very matter-of-fact way, that he had nicked it. Like most of the team, I didn't feel easy about him being so upfront."
Gilchrist also admitted that umpires had erroneously not given Ricky Ponting out even as the Australian captain clearly nicked a delivery in that Test.
"First, Ricky nicked one down the leg side and was given not out. Then, as if to even it up, he was given out leg before wicket off Harbhajan (Singh) when he'd smashed it of the inside edge into his pad.
"... Most cricketers believed, which was that good and bad decision even out over time, the umpire had job to do, and you had to ride your luck," extracts of his autobiography say.