Monday, 06 January 2025
Monday, 06 January 2025
The opening day of the fifth test at the Sydney Cricket Ground was absolute cinema. From a fiery war of words between Indian skipper Jasprit Bumrah and Aussie rookie Sam Konstas to questionable umpiring decisions, Day 1 of the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test had it all.
Konstas vs Bumrah
The day ended with the much-hyped battle between Bumrah and Konstas began when Usman Khawaja disrupted Bumrah’s rhythm by signaling he wasn’t ready to face the delivery.
When the 19-year-old Konstas, who had already gained traction for his verbal jabs as his batting, gestured at Bumrah to stop, triggering a verbal exchange.
“What’s the problem?” Bumrah shot back as the two squared up. Umpires had to step in to cool things down.
Bumrah had the final laugh, moments later.
The next ball, a full-length delivery, kissed Khawaja’s outside edge, and KL Rahul grabbed a sharp catch at slip.
Bumrah, known for his humble and muted celebrations didn’t celebrate his wicket but instead turned to Konstas with a death stare.
Indian fielders swarmed around Bumrah. Virat Kohli, who clashed with Konstas in the Boxing Day Test, joined the celebration with a wild roar and mocking gestures at the Aussie youngster.
Former Australian cricketer turned coach Tom Moody said, “Sam Konstas has much to learn.
I hope the dressing room is offering that guidance without suppressing his confidence and youthful enthusiasm.”
Earlier in the day, Bumrah displayed his versatility with a resilient knock of 22 runs of 17 balls, which included three boundaries and a towering six.
Snicko controversy: Two sides of umpire Joel Wilson
Third umpire Joel Wilson found himself at the center of not one but two controversies, adding to his growing reputation as the most talked-about figure in this series.
Earlier in the day, Wilson turned down Australia’s appeal for Virat Kohli’s dismissal. Kohli edged a delivery towards Steve Smith, who parried the ball to Marnus Labuschagne at gully. But Wilson ruled that the ball had grazed the ground before Smith’s hand. An irate Smith shook his head in disbelief.
Wilson’s next contentious call came during Washington Sundar’s dismissal. Sundar attempted to pull a bouncer from Pat Cummins, but replays showed ambiguity over whether the ball touched his glove. The snickometer detected a spike near the glove, but one angle showed clear daylight between the two. Despite this, Wilson overturned the on-field "not out" decision.
Sundar, dismissed for 14, looked stunned as boos rang out from the Sydney crowd.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed his shock at Joel Wilson's decision to give it out.
Former India batter Robin Uthappa was more forthright, calling the decision "crap" as scrutiny of Wilson's judgement intensified.
"I’m sorry, but that’s a crap decision! Sure, there was a spike, but from the side angle, there was a clear space between the ball and the glove. There is a lot of ambiguity with these kinds of decisions. The benefit must go to the batter," Uthappa wrote on X.
But former umpire Simon Taufel, one of cricket's most respected voices, defended Wilson's call, explaining the reasoning behind it.
"What Joel Wilson's looking for here is that spike up to one frame past the glove, and he's got that spike. There's nothing else out there, and the ball is underneath the glove. The third umpire is well and truly within his rights, according to the protocols, to determine that's conclusive evidence for ball on glove," Taufel said, as quoted by Channel 7.
‘Cows would have grazed confidently on the Sydney pitch’
Sunil Gavaskar took a dig at the Australian approach to pitch discussions. Reflecting on the surface while talking on Star Sports, he said, “I haven’t seen so much grass on a Sydney pitch in the past. Probably, the grass cover is on the higher side as compared to other pitches in the series. The batting is tough, and the visiting batters are not able to connect the ball with the bat”.
He joked, “Cows would have grazed confidently on the Sydney pitch”.
Bumrah’s late strike gave India a glimmer of hope in a Test they can’t afford to lose. The stage is set for another thrilling day as India looks to capitalize on Australia’s early wobble.
