Washington Sundar was forced to leave the pitch during the third session of Day 1 of the fifth Test of the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney due to a controversial DRS ruling.
The visitors’ decision to bat on a green-top wicket in the final Test match between Australia and India got off to a poor start. When Sundar arrived at the crease, India was at a dismal 120/6. On what was Scott Boland’s hattrick ball, the southpaw walked into bat.
In the 66th over, Sundar tried to pull but was unsuccessful against Pat Cummins’ short delivery.
The ball grazed his glove on its way, and Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey instantly called for a catch, even though it appeared to many that the batter had missed it. The on-field referee remained unconvinced until Australia decided to contest the ruling.
As the ball passed Sundar’s gloves, the Snickometer displayed a slight spike, which the DRS brought into focus. But throughout, there were noises and muttering on the Snicko, making it hard to tell if the spike was caused by the ball contacting the gloves. Even though there was no visible deflection or solid proof that the ball made contact with the bat or glove, the third umpire reversed the on-field ruling.
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Sundar’s displeasure at being fired was evident. Loud jeers were also used by the stadium crowd to show their disapproval. India’s last acknowledged hitter was out when Sundar was dismissed, leaving the team at 148/8.
The DRS rulings have caused controversy throughout the series, from KL Rahul’s wicket in Perth to Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal in Melbourne and even Steven Smith’s self-assured appeal in the slips against Virat Kohli in Sydney.
With 40 points thus far, Rishabh Pant has been India’s leading scorer in this game. The captain Pat Cummins made a routine catch at mid-on after the left-hander, who appeared to be in strong touch to pound a huge knock, tried a pull shot on a short delivery off Scott Boland’s bowling and grabbed the toe of the bat.
India
