In the Melbourne Test, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal became a turning point in the match. This wicket not only dashed India’s hopes of drawing the Test but also sparked a controversy. In the 71st over, Jaiswal attempted to pull the fifth ball but failed, and wicketkeeper Alex Carey, with a dive managed to collect the ball.
Pat Cummins and Carey appealed, but umpire Michael Gough ruled it not out. Cummins wasted no time in asking for a review. The replay showed a deflection, but the snickometer did not detect any edge. Based on the deflection, third umpire Sharfuddoula Saikat declared Jaiswal out. However, this decision has divided the cricketing world, with experts offering differing opinions on it.
Cricket Experts’ views on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s controversial dismissal
During the incident, Ricky Ponting, who was commentating, deemed it a clear dismissal. Ponting stated that Jaiswal knew there was contact and had started to walk off before stopping when the umpire declared it not out. He further added that while the snickometer might not have been conclusive, the deflection clearly indicated that the ball clearly hit the glove.
On the other hand, Sunil Gavaskar, who was commentating in Hindi, had a completely different opinion. Gavaskar suggested that the deflection might have appeared due to an optical illusion and emphasized that decisions should be based on technology.
“If you can’t see the deflection, whether you see it or not, it can be an optical illusion. Why are we using technology? We are using technology to show a sneak. Here you can see that the line is a straight line in Snicko. Whatever you are seeing can be an optical illusion. You should not take the decision on the basis of an optical illusion. If you are using technology, then you must follow what Snicko says.” said Sunil Gavaskar while commentating for Star Sports.
Meanwhile, legendary umpire Simon Taufel, speaking to 7Cricket, backed third umpire Sharfuddoula Saikat’s decision, calling it correct. “In my view the decision was out. The third umpire did make the correct decision in the end. With the technology protocols, we do have a hierarchy of redundancy and when the third umpire sees a clear deflection off the bat, then there really is no need to go any further and use any other form of technology to prove the case.” Simon Taufel told 7Cricket.
