Sean Abbott took a sensational catch off his own bowling to send back Shreyas Iyer in what was the 31st over of the first innings in the second ODI.
Sean Abbott took a sensational catch off his own bowling to send back Shreyas Iyer in what was the 31st over of the first innings in the second ODI. However, the third umpire checked several replays and adjudged the batter as not out to surprise one and all. It was a controversial decision by the TV umpire and probably a wrong decision as well.
Shreyas Iyer came to bat at No. 3 after India lost Ruturaj Gaikwad early in the innings and formed a solid partnership with Shubman Gill, who also looked in pristine touch. Iyer started to attack the Australian bowlers immediately, and the opponent looked clueless amidst the carnage. Iyer sidelined all the doubts after this sensational knock.
He completed his third century in 86 balls to take India to a strong position after the 30th over. His partnership with Gill laid a fantastic base for the following batters to provide a perfect finish to the team. Australia bowled well in the patches, but they were overall at sea on what was a sublime batting deck.
However, as Iyer completed his hundred, there was a slight lapse in concentration, resulting in a loose shot. Abbott completed a fine catch, but the decision wasn’t in his favour. It was the second such incident with them in the last two months, the first one coming in the Ashes 2023.
After taking ample beating, Sean Abbott bowled a fuller-length dipping ball on the middle-stump line as Shreyas Iyer went with the hard hands. Abbott, who was in his followthrough, sprinted across and dived forward to grab the ball just before it could hit the land. It was a terrific effort from Abbott, and Iyer started to move back to the pavilion.
However, the on-field umpires referred the decision upstairs, where the third umpire asked for several replays from different angles. After checking it numerous times, he reached the conclusion that the catcher wasn’t in control when the ball hit the ground. Hence, the big screen came with Not Out written on it.
— A (@cricketvf) September 24, 2023
The Australian players were shocked severely, while Iyer, who almost reached the pavilion, came back to continue his innings. He has got a second life, but the verdict by the TV umpire was probably wrong. Abbott had taken a clean catch and was well in control when the ball licked the surface.
It didn’t cost Australia much, as Shreyas Iyer was dismissed two balls later. He could only add four more runs to his tally. Nevertheless, it was a sumptuous knock from Iyer to sideline all the doubts regarding his position.
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