Team India lower-order batter Akash Deep expressed his frustration with the third umpire’s decision in the second innings of the fourth Test against Australia. Akash Deep was given out off Australian pace bowler Scott Boland despite the Snicko showing a faint sound after the ball passed the bat in the replays.
Chasing a record 340-run target for victory, India was 140/7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on Monday, December 30. Controversy arose in the 71st over when Yashasvi Jaiswal was given out for 83 runs. Replays showed a visible deflection off the gloves, but no spike appeared on Snicko.
Watch: Akash Deep Upset With Third Umpire’s Decision
A few overs later, Akash Deep was dismissed for 7 runs after fending a delivery from Scott Boland to Travis Head at short leg. The dismissal came following a review by the Australian skipper after umpire Joel Wilson initially ruled it not out. Replays confirmed a spike on Snicko as the ball passed the bat.
Akash Deep, however, expressed frustration with the third umpire’s decision, as he believed the evidence was inconclusive. This left India eight wickets down, with Australia just two wickets away from victory.
Have a look at the incident right here:
This time Snicko shows something!
India eight down!#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/hIJm2fX2tf
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 30, 2024
Akash Deep is upset with the decision by the third umpire 👀 pic.twitter.com/7syDbIK9nE
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 30, 2024
Rishabh Pant’s Dismissal Triggered Collapse in Indian Batting
Captain Rohit Sharma and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal survived a testing spell from Mitchell Starc. However, Pat Cummins made a breakthrough in the 16th over, dismissing Sharma and KL Rahul in the same over. Starc dismissed Virat Kohli, caught at first slip for 5, in the final over before lunch break.
After the break, Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal provided resistance without losing any wickets. However, part-time bowler Travis Head made a key breakthrough after tea, dismissing Pant with a half-tracker. This led to a swift collapse, with the India national cricket team losing three wickets for just 9 runs.
Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed after gloving a rising ball to the keeper, and Nitish Kumar Reddy was caught by Steve Smith off Nathan Lyon, leaving India in dire straits.
Fantastic Way to Finish the Week – Mitchell Starc
Reflecting on the win, Mitchell Starc called it one of the best. He appreciated the crowd turnout, especially the support from both Indian and Australian fans. Starc also mentioned he would deal with his back injury the following day.
“It (the win) is going to be up there. Fantastic way to finish the week, it has been five fantastic days of cricket. The crowd, the turn out from India and Australia supporters has been awesome. Deal with that tomorrow (talking about his back injury). There is always belief in the group, it has been a feature of this group for a number of years, the calmness and just going with the flow,” Starc said.
Also read: Watch: Rishabh Pant calms himself to avoid reckless shot after Sunil Gavaskar’s ‘stupid’ criticism