New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) A lot of controversy surrounded the dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal after he was dismissed off a bouncer by Australian captain Pat Cummins in the 71st over of the fourth innings of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne on Monday. The left-handed opener’s childhood coach Jwala Singh believes he should have been given the benefit of the doubt due to inconclusive evidence.
On-field umpire Joel Wilson initially ruled Jaiswal not out after Australia’s appeal for a caught-behind dismissal. However, Australian captain Pat Cummins immediately opted for the Decision Review System (DRS), challenging the on-field decision.
The third umpire, Saikat Sharfuddoula, reviewed the available evidence. While the Snickometer (Snicko) showed no spike as the ball passed Jaiswal’s bat and gloves, the television umpire relied on visual evidence of a slight deflection from the batter’s right index finger and a perceived change in the ball’s direction. Based on this, Sharfuddoula overturned the on-field call, declaring Jaiswal out.
Jwala Singh, who was present at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, believes that despite a seeming deflection, the batter should have been given the benefit of the doubt. “I was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, so it was hard to understand what exactly happened. Initially, the on-field umpire gave it not out, and then the decision was reviewed. From what I heard later, Snicko didn’t show anything and the ball seemed to pass close to the bat.
“If we use technology, it should be foolproof and properly used. According to the technology, it didn’t seem like the ball touched the bat. But then, if it’s an optical illusion or not clear on Snicko, I feel this was a bit of a controversial decision—no doubt about it.
Later, I heard Rohit Sharma mention that he had touched the bat. If that’s the case, it adds another layer of controversy to this decision. In cricket, such choices can be very tricky. But the doubt should always be given to the batter, so I believe Yashasvi should have been given the benefit of the doubt,” Singh told IANS.
Jaiswal is India’s top scorer in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the second top scorer only behind Australia’s Travis Head. The 23-year-old showcased exemplary resilience and technique in the Boxing Day Test to register scores of 82 and 84 respectively across the two innings. Jwala Singh reflected on his protege’s performance and applauded him for giving his 100% in the game.
“Yashasvi batted very well. If you look at his performance, he scored runs in both innings. In the second innings, he batted under pressure and still contributed. He gave his 100% effort throughout.
“In the first innings, he was close to scoring a century but missed out. In the second innings, he was dismissed in an unfortunate manner when he was looking good again. I am slightly disappointed because he missed the opportunity to score centuries in both innings. That said, his effort and contribution to the team were commendable. He is a young player and has a bright future ahead of him,” he added.
With the future of India’s most experienced players in doubt and many questioning the time left in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s careers, questions arise about who will bear the load of Indian cricket in the future. The coach also reflected on whether he sees Jaiswal take the captaincy armband in the coming years.
“I feel he should continue to bloom as a batsman, it’s too early to consider him for captaincy, he has played only 15-16 international Test matches. He should continue to enjoy and only focus on his batting,” he added.
–IANS
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