Australia’s top-order succumbed to Jasprit Bumrah’s fiery spell in the first hour of the morning session, but Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne steadied the ship against the aging ball.
The pair put together a solid 65-run partnership, frustrating the Indian bowlers before Nitish Kumar Reddy stepped up as the visitors’ golden arm.
With India eager to capitalize and make further breakthroughs, a dramatic moment unfolded when TV umpire assistance played a role in a key decision during the 58th over.
On the third ball of the over, Ravichandran Ashwin bowled a fuller delivery at the stumps that Mitchell Marsh attempted to play. The ball turned slightly into the right-hander, striking him on the pad, and the Indian players appealed for an LBW, which was initially turned down by umpire Richard Illingworth.
However, the visitors decided to review the decision, and to everyone’s surprise, TV umpire Richard Kettleborough hastily upheld the not-out call based on Snicko.
In a twist, broadcaster replays showed a different angle, suggesting the ball had indeed hit the pad first. The Indian camp was left bewildered by the TV umpire’s process, as the protocols were not fully followed, and ball-tracking was ignored.
"KL's was the same in Perth, two spikes" 🍿 pic.twitter.com/a0FZB0Vk3I
— POTT⁷⁶⁵ (@KlolZone) December 7, 2024
Ultimately, India lost their review due to ‘inconclusive evidence’, leaving the Twitterverse visibly frustrated by the decision.