Steve Smith firmly claims he took Virat Kohli's catch

Steve Smith firmly claims he took Virat Kohli’s catch

Article Update On:

January 3 2025

Published On:

January 3 2025

The first day of the Sydney Test saw intense drama, thanks to a disputed catch involving Steve Smith and Virat Kohli. After KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal departed early, Kohli narrowly escaped a golden duck. Facing his first delivery from Scott Boland, Kohli took one off Smith at slip. The referees on the field referred the decision upstairs.

Replays revealed that the ball appeared to touch the ground as Smith grabbed it. The third umpire, Joel Wilson, ruled in favor of Kohli and determined that the ball had made contact with the grass. The decision, however, left Smith and the Australian team dissatisfied.

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“100% I can’t deny it” – Smith stands firm

During a break in play, Smith doubled down on his statement. “100% I don’t deny it at all, 100%. But the referee made his decision and we moved on,” he said. The conviction of the Australian batsman sparked lively debates among experts and fans alike.

Justin Langer, speaking to the media, supported Smith’s stance. “From what I’ve seen, that should have been ruled out. Smith’s fingers were clearly under the ball,” he said. Mark Waugh echoed this sentiment, stating: “To me, that’s just obvious. He’s made a second move to go under.”

Allan Border joined in and added: “Kohli got away with it there. For me, it backfired.” However, not everyone agreed. Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan sided with the third umpire’s decision and tweeted: “Virat Kohli was not out which was rightly called NOT OUT.”

The referee’s perspective

Third referee Joel Wilson’s decision was based on extensive replays. “I could clearly see the ball rolling across the grass,” Wilson explained, ruling in favor of Kohli. The images showed Smith’s fingers under the ball but also highlighted that he touched the ground before the rebound.

Despite surviving the scare, Kohli’s innings was short-lived. After facing 69 balls, he departed for 17 runs, once again overcoming slips. It was a dull blow for the former Indian captain, whose presence in the box had initially given hope to the Indian team.