"The right decision was made" - Alex Carey on Cameron Green's contentious catch on Day 4 of WTC final
Australia keeper-batter Alex Carey has justified the decision to give Shubman Gill out on Day 4 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India at the Kennington Oval. The South Australian felt Cameron Green's catch was clean, from where he was standing.
The eighth over of the fourth innings saw Gill edge one to the slip as Cameron Green snuck his left hand and caught it. However, replays seemed to indicate that the all-rounder might have grassed the ball.
As it went to the third umpire, Richard Kettleborough ruled it out, prompting captain Rohit Sharma to argue with the umpires.
Speaking to the broadcaster after the day's play, Carey said:
"Looked good to me (on the Green catch), we were happy, and the right decision was made."
Following the wicket, fans at the stadium started chanting 'Cheat' for Green. The 23-year-old had taken another blinder in the first innings to dismiss Ajinkya Rahane.
"I think we have the runs on the board" - Alex Carey optimistic ahead of Day 5
Reflecting on the unbroken 71-run partnership between Virat Kohli and Rahane, the 31-year-old underlined the need for patience to create seven more chances.
"I think we have the runs on the board, always look for more wickets, but they played well. We'll have another chance tomorrow. Class players, this is a good partnership; we need to remain patient, hit the right areas, and, hopefully, the wickets will come."
Carey played a critical role in giving Australia a lead of 443 with an unbeaten 66 after arriving at the loss of Marnus Labuschagne in the third over of the day. The left-hander shared a 90-run stand with Mitchell Starc, lifting the side from 167-6 to 260.
India started their 444 run-chase briskly, with Rohit Sharma sharing strong partnerships with Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara. India need to scale the highest ever run-chase in Test history to win the game, though, reaching Stumps at 164-3.