India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was sent off in controversial fashion during the fifth day of the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne. It was a short ball from Pat Cummins which Jaiswal appeared to drag down the leg side.
The Australians filed an appeal, but the ruling did not reject it. Cummins elected to conduct the review and the decision was sent upstairs. Jaiswal was seen moving towards his batting partner Washington Sundar after Australia opted for DRS.
During this segment, Travis Head also passed by the Indian opener and appeared to chat with him. After the brief conversation, Head was convinced that Jaiswal had hit the ball and raised his fists, claiming it was out.
Watch: Yashasvi Jaiswal tells Travis Head that he hit her
Whatever conversation Jaiswal had with Head between the appeal and the DIR, Head came away from it thinking the matter was over #Australia pic.twitter.com/FeMfqxlJtI
– 7cricket (@7cricket) December 30, 2024
Yashasvi Jaiswal appeared to inform Travis Head that he had hit the ball on his way to wicket-keeper Alex Carey. Al-Fateh stood with his partner, Washington Sundar, and waited impatiently for the decision.
Controversy arrived when Snicko showed nothing when the ball went past the edge of the racket. However, the ball changed its path after it passed the racket. Jaiswal appeared to have hit her but there was no conclusive evidence to overturn the decision.
The Australian players were shocked to see nothing on Sneko. The third referee looked at the replay repeatedly and eventually gave it away. The Australian players were ecstatic after getting the big wicket and celebrated as if they had already won the match.
Great game by Yashasvi Jaiswal
It was the big wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal that stood between Australia and victory from the start of the innings. The left-handed opener showed tremendous resilience in his tenacious batting and scored 84 minutes. It was a different knock for Jaiswal who faced 208 balls and hit 8 fours during his knock.
Yashasvi Jaiswal's innings kept India on track to save the match but his wicket made things easier for Australia as they finished off the next three wickets quickly.
Yashasvi Jaiswal had a great outing with the bat overall. He also scored 82 off 118 balls in the first innings which included 11 fours and one six. The left-handed opener handled the pressure well and played a world-class Australian attack brilliantly.
Australia leads 2-1 in the series
Meanwhile, Australia won the match by 184 runs to hand India a heartbreaking defeat. The hosts took seven wickets in the final session to dampen India's hopes. The match looked set for a draw at tea with Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal appearing at the crease.
But Travis Head picked up Pant's wicket off a half-tracker to bring Australia back into the match. It opened doors for India and the hosts took full advantage of it.
