WTC Final: 'Correct decision was made over Gill's dismissal' - Ricky Ponting
"Everyone in India will think it is not out and everyone in Australia will think it is out," Ponting also said.
Crickate
Ricky Ponting, a former Australian cricketer, believes the umpire made the correct call regarding Cameron Green's capture of Shubman Gill on Day 4 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final. On the fourth day, just before Tea, the third umpire, Richard Kettleborough, declared the Indian opener out. After Australian quick Scott Boland induced an edge, the ball sped towards Green at gully. Green dove to his left and made a spectacular capture.
The on-field umpires were not convinced by the fielder's clean capture, so they referred the decision to the third umpire, who determined that the fielder had his hands under the ball and was in control of it. Rohit Sharma and Gill smashed some exquisite shots to give India a magnificent start. India were assigned a target of 444 to win the WTC final, and Gill's departure shattered a fantastic opening partnership of 41.
Following Gill's dismissal, India's supporters were just as astonished as Rohit and Gill. In a similar vein, the former captain of Australia believes that the umpires made the correct call when they assessed whether the fielder had control of the ball at the time of the capture.
"When I saw it live, I knew it had carried to him on the full, but from all the replays we've seen, I wasn't positive what happened next. I believe that some portion of the ball did contact the ground, and the umpire's interpretation is that it is out as long as the fielder has complete control of the ball before it touches the ground. That must have been the interpretation of the umpires, and I believe that is precisely what occurred. It probably carried six to eight inches off the ground before another action occurred," Ponting told ICC.
The 48-year-old emphasized that the decision will receive a great deal of criticism, particularly from India.
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"There will undoubtedly be a great deal of discussion about it, and there will likely be more discussion in India than in Australia. Everyone in India will believe it is not available, while everyone in Australia will believe it is available. If it had been ruled out on the field, I believe the third umpire would have needed incontrovertible evidence to overturn the decision, and I do not believe such evidence would have existed," he said.
"I say this because, even without the gentle signal, the third umpire believed the ball to be out. Ultimately, I believe the correct decision was made," he continued.
