Fans are furious as Mitchell Marsh escapes a clear LBW in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with Virat Kohli’s reaction going viral.
New Delhi: The level of umpiring in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 has raised concerns over time. From KL Rahul‘s controversial dismissal in the first Test in Perth to Mitchell Marsh escaping an LBW decision, as the third umpire didn’t properly check the evidence. It was very clear in the slow-motion video that the ball hit Mitchell Marsh’s pad, but the third umpire said, “he didn’t have any conclusive evidence to go for ball tracking.”
India faced another questionable decision from the third umpire when Mitchell Marsh was given not out despite strong evidence suggesting he was plumb LBW. Ashwin trapped Marsh in front, but the on-field umpire ruled him not out. Confident in their appeal, India took the decision upstairs. The third umpire reviewed the replays but didn’t overturn the call, claiming no conclusive evidence of the ball hitting the pad first. However, the front-on replay clearly showed the ball struck the pad first, and ball tracking indicated it would have hit the stumps, leaving India denied a clear wicket.
Virat to umpire- KL’s was the same in first Test, 2 spikes (on ultra-edge) .
KL Rahul was given Out but Mitchell Marsh not-out due to ‘inconclusive evidence’. 🙆♂️
Umpires playing australia side I think 🤔 #INDvsAUS #KLRahul #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/W4oybtVN6M— CrickTalk (@cricktalk12) December 7, 2024
Even the commentators were taken aback by the decision, all agreeing that the ball had hit the pad first. Matthew Hayden raised a valid point, questioning why better images were only shown after the decision had already been made. “How do we get better images after the decision is made?” he asked.
This is pathetic by Richard Kettleborough. He was unsure of bat first or pad first but gave not out based on Snicko. Mitchell Marsh was safe as impact was umpires call but India would have kept the crucial review. #INDvAUS #INDvsAUS #indvsausTestseriespic.twitter.com/CZU8dpWSXy
— Ganesh (@me_ganesh14) December 7, 2024
Virat Kohli, visibly surprised by the call, approached the umpire to express his views, likely suggesting that the ball had hit the pad first.
Australia are currently in a strong position in the second Test. After dismissing India for just 180, they are already in the lead with six wickets remaining. A lead of 100 or more could prove crucial. With India leading the series 1-0, Australia find themselves in a must-win situation after their loss in the first Test. If India loses this match, they will need to win the remaining three Tests to stay in contention for the World Test Championship final. For India, quick wickets are essential to regain control and get the match back in balance.