A major DRS dispute erupted at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the final day of the fourth Test match. Yashasvi Jaiswal was given out by the third umpire. The decision sparked significant outrage in the cricket world. Since Jaiswal was India’s final specialist hitter, struggling to rescue the Test match. Even though the snicko meter indicated that Jaiswal did not edge the ball, the third umpire ruled him caught behind.
The incident occurred in the 71st over of the match, with Jaiswal batting at 84. The left-hander botched his pull shot after failing to make a clean connection. The ball soared to the leg side of wicketkeeper Alex Carey, seemingly touching the batter’s glove. Carey made a good catch on the wrong side and appealed to the umpire. On-field umpire Joel Wilson was unconvinced by the appeal and declared Jaiswal not out.
Bowler and captain Pat Cummins was dissatisfied with the on-field decision and promptly referred to the third umpire. Citing one of his Decision Review System (DRS) recommendations. And this is where the disagreement arose. There was a lengthy review of the DRS ultra edge revealed that there was no spike as the ball passed the batter. But third umpire Sharfuddoula Saikat ruled it out based on visual evidence of the deflection.
Jaiswal’s Dismissal Rekindles 2008 Australia
Legendary Indian cricketer and former captain Sunil Gavaskar, who was commentating for Star Sports at the time, was equally dissatisfied with the decision and was heard blasting the third umpire’s decision. Thousands of Indian supporters who had gathered at Australia’s largest cricket stadium to witness the play also lost their cool and began yelling “Cheating, cheating” at the top of their voices.
During his 84-run performance on Monday, Jaiswal made history by being the second-highest-scoring Indian hitter in a calendar year in Test cricket. Jaiswal, who made his Test debut in July against the West Indies, completed 2024 with 1478 runs in 15 matches. Sachin Tendulkar holds the overall record for most Test runs scored in a calendar year for India, with 1562 in 2010.
