The World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and India on Saturday, June 10, was played on Day 4.
According to Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, he had no doubt that the catch he made to get rid of Shubman Gill was a good one.
At The Oval, a huge debate over Green’s breath-taking catch in the gully broke out. At 18, Gill swung at a Scott Boland delivery outside off-stump.
Green leapt to his left and caught the edge with one hand after it flew in his direction.
Gill did not leave right away, though, and the third umpire Richard Kettleborough was consulted before declaring the batter out.
Many admirers of India and some detractors agreed that the catch, which was made very close to the ground, wasn’t a clean take.
Cameron Green explains why he made the contentious catch to out Shubman Gill
At the conclusion of the fourth day of play, Green was prompted to explain his position on the issue. He answered:
“I distinctly believed I had it at the time. In the heat of the moment, I believe I believed it to be clean and threw it up, showing no sign of hesitation. The third umpire (Richard Kettleborough), who concurred, is then left with the decision.”
Green displayed other flashes of brilliance in the field during the WTC final in addition to his catch.
He displayed excellent reflexes to take a quick catch and get rid of Ajinkya Rahane for 89 in the first innings as well.
The 24-year-old said this in reference to his excellent fielding abilities:
“Since I became an adult, I have dedicated a lot of time and energy to catching. I believe that as a child, I would constantly try to place myself in the first or second slip, and I pretty much continued doing that throughout my entire junior career.”
Along with scoring 25 runs with the bat in Australia’s second innings, Green also took two wickets in India’s opening innings.
On Day 5, Cameron Green said, “We must unquestionably be patient.”
In the WTC final, Australia has dominated thus far and is still in the lead going into Day 5. To win the Test championship, India must chase down a record 444 runs. With 164/3, they finished Day 4.
Green concluded by expressing his views on the Test’s final day.
“Just like it was today, it will be essential to maintain our composure. We only need a wicket or two to regain the lead. Definitely, we need to exercise patience.”
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