Talking about his views on the controversial dismissal of Indian opener Shubman Gill, the veteran Australian ex-cricketer, Ricky Ponting opines that the ball which was caught by Cameron Green did touch the ground but since the ball was in full control of Green before it touched the ground, is what convinced the umpire in declaring Gill out. This is what Ponting told ICC:
“When I saw it live, I knew it had carried to him on the full, but I wasn’t sure what the action was after that from all replays we have seen. I actually think some part of the ball did touch the ground and it is the interpretation of the umpire that as long as the fielder has complete control of the ball before the ball hits the ground then it is out. That must have been what the umpires’ interpretation was and I think that is exactly what happened. It carried probably six or eight inches off the ground then there was another action after that.”
WTC Final 2023 Day 4 : What really happened?
On Day 4 of WTC Final 2023, the Aussies declared their second innings at 8/270 which along with their lead of 173 runs gave a mammoth target of 444 runs to the Indian side. Both the Indian openers, Rohit Sharma & Shubman Gill, gave a flying start to the innings by putting a score of 41 runs in just 7 overs.
Just before tea, on the first ball of the 8th over, Shubman Gill got an edge on a delivery by the seamer Scott Boland. To this, Cameron Green, positioned at the slip took a dive to his left to grab a spectacular catch just a few inches above the ground. But as Cameron fell on the ground, the ball which he held in his fingers, also appeared to have touched the ground.
Shubman Gill stood at the crease with an assumption that the ball must have hit the ground, but as the Aussies appealed to the umpire on-field, he referred the matter to the Third Umpire. After several checks from different angles, the third umpire could not reach any conclusive decision but still after consulting the on-field umpire declared Gill to be out. This turned the Indian side and fans go furious over the wrong decision made by the umpires.
Ricky Ponting’s view : Could have “Soft Signal” option saved Shubman Gill?
As per Ricky Ponting, the “Soft Signal” might have saved Shubman Gill as the final decision rested with third umpire who could have even overruled the on-field umpire’s decision if found any evidence for a conclusive decision.
On the contrary, since the catch was so close, even third umpire might have not reached any conclusion and final decision of the on-field umpire would have been the final. But since this rule has already been scrapped recently by the ICC, it could not be used during this match.
How this affected Indian Innings
Surely, this decision is a big setback to the splendid start that both the opening batters gave to India’s campaign of 444-run chase. Had both batters survived Day 4, it would have surely given a boost to the batters in playing confidently on Day 5 as they must have had all the wickets in hands. On the other side, it would also have made it difficult for Australian bowlers to claim all the ten wickets in a single day.