It was a forgettable outing for Rohit Sharma and Co., who were humbled by 209 runs in the World Test Championship (WTC) final by Australia at The Oval on Sunday. The match saw Australia, who most anticipated as the favourites, dictate the proceedings right from the opening day, laying a perfect platform for them to secure a commanding victory.
Centuries from Travis Head and Steve Smith drove Australia to an enormous 469/10 in the first innings as India somehow managed to save the follow-on to remain alive in the contest.
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The second innings brought a bit of respite in the Indian camp before a crucial 93-run stand between Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc helped Australia set a gigantic 444-run target for the opposition.
Despite the daunting task at hand, India displayed positive signs as the opening pair of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma added 41 runs for the first wicket before the game was rocked by a major controversy.
The incident took place when Gill was caught at gully by Cameron Green for 18, but many argued the ball to be grounded in the process. The on-field umpires too sent the matter upstairs and after a lengthy examination the decision was ruled in favour of the fielder, leaving both Gill and Rohit frustrated.
{{/usCountry}}The incident took place when Gill was caught at gully by Cameron Green for 18, but many argued the ball to be grounded in the process. The on-field umpires too sent the matter upstairs and after a lengthy examination the decision was ruled in favour of the fielder, leaving both Gill and Rohit frustrated.
{{/usCountry}}Several ex-cricketers also lashed out at the third umpire for taking a hasty call and Gill too didn't hold back from expressing his disappointment. Soon after the close of play on Day 4, Gill took to social media and shared screenshot of the incident, presenting an image of the ball brushing the ground while the catch was being taken by Green.
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Rohit Sharma addressed the controversy in the post-match press conference and took a dig at the umpire for not utilising the the technology to full extent.
“I just felt disappointed. Third umpire should have seen a little more replays, a little more on how the catch is been held. I think three or four times he saw, and he was convinced with it,” he said during the post-match press conference.
Gill’s dismissal came at a crucial point for Team India, who were off to a brisk start in their second innings, reaching 41 in 7 overs. Gill’s wicket ruined the momentum as first Rohit and then Cheteshwar Pujara fell in quick succession. From 93/3, Kohli and Rahane took the score to 179 before the catastrophe unfolded. In wake of the incident, Rohit pointed out that more than anything else, the casualty with which the replays were viewed ticked him off.
‘We have more cameras in IPL’ says Rohit
"It's not about whether it was given out or not-out, you need to have a proper and clear information about anything. It's not about the catch, so that is something I was little disappointed with. The decision was made quite quickly, when a catch like that is being taken you need to be more than 100 percent sure. It's final, we were at that important stage of the game as well, so that was a little bit disappointing and more camera angles should have been shown. There were only one or two camera angles that were shown,” the India captain added.
“We've got more angles in IPL, we've got 10 different angles in IPL. I don't know why in a world event like this, there was no ultra-motion that was seen, or any kind of zoomed image, that is what I was little disappointed with.”