Indian cricket fans chant ‘cheat, cheat, cheat’ as Shabman Gill is controversially sacked, with many claiming Cameron Green’s stunning catch hit the ground first
- Cameron Green’s stunning catch divided cricket supporters
- The all-rounder’s grip sent Shabman Gill to the Oval
- But some fans claimed the ball was grounded before it was caught
Indian cricket fans are rioting after Shabman Gill controversially lost his wicket on Saturday.
Gill and Rohit Sharma started the second innings fast as India chased a massive 444 run target set by Australia in the World Test Championship final at the Oval.
Gill scored 18 off 19 balls before deflecting a shot from Scott Boland towards Cameron Green, who jumped left to catch the ball.
The great all-rounder and his teammates wildly celebrated what they thought was an astonishing catch, but Gill held his ground as the on-pitch referees sent the incident upstairs for further review.
After looking extensively at the replays, which showed that the ball may have touched the ground, the third umpire ruled that Green had his whole hand on the ball and it did not touch the turf, leaving Gill in trouble.
Cameron Green’s stunning catch divided cricket supporters on Saturday
The great all-rounder reacted quickly after Shabman Gill evaded a delivery from Scott Boland
Gill leaves the field after Green’s catch was ruled legit, though some claimed he hit the ground first
Loud boos echoed around the Oval as large swathes of India fans disagreed with the decision, with Mail Sport’s Lawrence Booth reporting that some of the crowd was heard screaming, ‘Cheat, cheat, cheat’.
Indian cricketing legend Dinesk Karthik felt his side struggled with the decision.
“At first glance on the replay I really felt it wasn’t over,” he said on Sky Sports. “If you really think there were two fingers under the ball, then I refuse to believe it. But you must agree with the referee’s decision.’
Matthew Hayden insisted the sincere response from the Australian fielders is a good indication it was a fair catch.
“When you look at the way those fielders reacted, there was no doubt about it,” Hayden said.
It was a huge moment in this Test match, but when I watched those fielders, everyone was so excited.
“When Cameron Green tossed the ball, he knew he’d caught it.”
More to follow.