WTC Final 2023: Cameron Green Firm On Controversial Shubman Gill Catch, Says ‘It Was Clean’
London: Australian all-rounder Cameron Green stood firm that he held on to the controversial catch to dismiss Shubman Gill on Day 4 of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) final on Saturday at the Oval, an act that has been a major talking point in the game.
The incident happened on the last ball before Tea on Saturday. Reacting to a full length delivery from Scott Boland, Gill leaned forward to defend and got an edge that travelled to gully where Green dived on his left to take a stunner in what looked like he had taken the ball cleanly.
Although TV umpire Richard Kettleborough said the fingers were underneath the ball, different camera angles showed that the ball has touched the ground, a decision that caught many by surprise, especially to those whose who were supporting Rohit Sharma’s men.
“At the time I definitely thought I caught it. 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,” Green told reporters after the day’s play during the media conference.
#WATCH : Looks like #ShubmanGill
was not out!!!!!! #ShubhmanGill #Gill #WTC23 #Oval #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/qDAo8znuyg— Rahul Agarwal (@agrrahul7) June 10, 2023
“And then it’s left up to the third umpire (Kettleborough) and he agreed,” added the Australian star. Meanwhile, dejected by the decision, Gill took to social media and vented his frustation by posting a picture of the Green’s grab that clearly showed the ball has touched the ground.
He captioned the post with two binocular emojis and another one with a hand on head.
— Shubman Gill (@ShubmanGill) June 10, 2023
Chasing an improbable 444 for victory, India started on a good note adding 41 runs for the first wicket before Gill departure.
Two more wickets followed as captain Rohit and Cheteshwar Pujara played unnecessary shots at a time when the team needed them the most. The encounter goes into the final day on Sunday with India needing 280 runs more to win with Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane in the middle.
If India win the Test match, it would be the highest successful run chase in the history of Test cricket. Asked about what Australia need to produce on the final day, Green said they need to be patient.
“It will be crucial (to stay patient) as it was today to kind of keep our nerve… one or two wickets and we’re back on top,” Green added. “We have to definitely be patient.”