After winning the toss and opting to bat first, India’s batting lineup faced early challenges. Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed by Mitchell Starc’s brilliance in the third over, as the team struggled with the pace and bounce of the Perth pitch.
Despite a fiery spell from Starc and Josh Hazlewood, skipper Pat Cummins took the new ball and bowled a tidy eighth over, while the Indian batters continued to falter in the tough conditions.
Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed for a duck off 23 balls, leaving India at 18/2 after 12 overs. The crowd erupted when Virat Kohli joined KL Rahul, but Kohli was dismissed cheaply for just five runs off 12 balls.
With Rishabh Pant and Rahul at the crease, India was 47/3 after 22 overs. Starc again proved his class in the 23rd over, but it was Rahul’s controversial dismissal, following a disputed third umpire call, that deflated the Indian side.
On the second ball of the 23rd over, Starc bowled a good-length delivery that pitched on middle and off, shaping away and angling across Rahul. The Karnataka batter attempted to defend, with his front foot coming forward, but the ball passed through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
The Australians immediately appealed, and skipper Pat Cummins opted for a review after on-field umpire Richard Kettleborough had initially ruled not out.The review brought UltraEdge into play, showing a spike as the ball passed the outside edge, sparking celebrations in the Australian camp.
However, Rahul, visibly upset, gestured to the umpire, insisting the ball hadn’t touched his bat. Despite his protests, third umpire Richard Illingworth upheld the on-field decision, sending Rahul back to the pavilion.
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Replays later revealed that the ball had actually made contact with Rahul’s pad first, causing the spike—a point Rahul had tried to clarify. The controversial dismissal quickly became a hot topic on social media, with fans debating the decision and expressing their frustration over the unfortunate call.