Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal on the fifth day of the fourth Test in Melbourne sparked a wave of controversy, as he was given out despite no conclusive spike on the Snicko meter. Batting on 84, the left-hander attempted a hook shot to a short-pitched delivery from Pat Cummins going down the leg side. Jaiswal misjudged the shot, and Australia immediately appealed for a caught behind. On-field umpire Joel Wilson, however, turned down the appeal.
Australia decided to review the decision, and while the replays showed a potential deflection off the bat, the Snicko meter did not register any spike, leading to confusion. Despite the lack of audio evidence, the third umpire ruled that a clear deflection had occurred and instructed the on-field umpire to change his decision. This led to Jaiswal’s controversial dismissal.
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The delivery from Cummins was short and down the leg side, and Jaiswal tried to pull the ball. The uncertainty arose as there seemed to be a slight deflection—possibly from the bat or glove—before the ball went toward Alex Carey. The deflection appeared clear on the front-on camera angle, but the Snicko failed to capture it. Despite this, the third umpire used the deflection as sufficient evidence to overturn the original decision.
“They can make of it what they like. That clearly hit the glove.”
“As far as I’m concerned, there’s no argument whatsoever.”
– Ricky Ponting on the Jaiswal wicket #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/IWcJKHBbzV
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 30, 2024
— Rotates (@RotatesAU) December 30, 2024
Simon Taufel, a former umpire, provided his opinion on the situation, stating that the third umpire made the correct decision. According to Taufel, once the clear deflection was visible, there was no need to rely on other technologies, such as Snicko or ball-tracking. He explained that the technology hierarchy meant the deflection was conclusive evidence, and the third umpire rightly went with that.
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Taufel emphasized that while the Snicko meter did not show a spike, the visual evidence of the deflection was clear enough to justify the on-field umpire’s reversal. In the end, while the decision left some fans frustrated, Taufel and others argued that it was the right call based on the available technology and protocols.
