The first session of the opening Test between India and Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth kicked off amidst controversy, overshadowing the cricketing action. Indian opener KL Rahul found himself at the center of a storm after being given out in a decision that has sparked outrage within the cricketing fraternity. The incident revolved around a caught-behind dismissal adjudicated by the third umpire, which many felt lacked conclusive evidence.
KL Rahul was playing a composed and disciplined innings, standing out as India’s most assured batter on a morning marked by low scores. Facing fierce bowling from the Australian pacers, Rahul had been steady under pressure when Mitchell Starc delivered a searing delivery that appeared to graze his bat. The on-field umpire initially ruled him not out, but Australia decided to challenge the decision with a review.
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Using the ‘Snicko’ technology, the third umpire detected a spike as the ball passed Rahul’s bat. However, the crux of the controversy lay in the ambiguity of the evidence. Rahul’s bat simultaneously made contact with his pad, making it unclear whether the spike resulted from the ball nicking the bat or the bat striking the pad.
“His pad and bat are not together at that point in time as the ball passes.
“It’s (bat hitting pad) after, in fact, the ball passes the edge. Does Snicko pick up the sound of the bat hitting the pad?
“We’re assuming (Snicko) may be the outside edge of the bat but that may not… pic.twitter.com/hvG0AF9rdo
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) November 22, 2024
Despite the uncertainty, the third umpire overturned the on-field call, declaring Rahul out, much to the dismay of the Indian team and fans alike. As Rahul walked back to the pavilion, visibly upset, he didn’t shy away from expressing his displeasure at what he perceived as an unjust decision.
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His disappointment resonated with many who questioned the reliability of technology and the decision-making process in such pivotal moments. The incident has reignited debates about the margin of error in DRS technology and its impact on the game, adding an edge to what promises to be an intense series between two cricketing giants.
FLOP
At one side, KL Rahul scored 10+ runs and on the other side, Virat Kohli threw his wicket away. Virat was out of crease, Hazlewood bowled a delivery which got extra bounce & he could not time it to the gap. He should have left it#INDvsAUS#BGT2025 pic.twitter.com/ZFdCET07EZ
— Sports syncs (@moiz_sports) November 22, 2024
What the hell, that’s not out! These umpires need to get their heads checked.
KL Rahul won’t be happy; he was looking amazing out there! pic.twitter.com/O17H6UnfhM
— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) November 22, 2024
Former cricketers and experts express their disappointment over the controversial dismissal of KL Rahul.👀💔 pic.twitter.com/uTVVaxCqhg
— Santhosh Bby (@santhosh_bby) November 22, 2024
Most of the days KL Rahul can’t bat and on the days KL look solid the umpires don’t let him bat 💔 pic.twitter.com/DY3uhPW8Sz
— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) November 22, 2024
Baffled by this strange decision
Once again over ruling on field decision without conclusive evidence
3rd umpire has to do a better job #INDvsAUS #KLRahul pic.twitter.com/cFUmmS0OB0— Laxmi Ratan Shukla 🏏 (@Lshukla6) November 22, 2024
Worst umpiring….looks like a gap between bat and ball at the exact point of snick. No attempt to look for a conclusive other camera angle to compare snick response and exact frame of touch to decide that out 🤷🏼#KLRahul𓃵 was playing so well to get dismissed this way 🙄 pic.twitter.com/WAmrVushih
— God of Shinobi (@Shinobi_nokami1) November 22, 2024
It’s hard to digest that KL Rahul has been wrongly given out. 😞💔
Like this tweet if you think KL Rahul was not out.
#INDvsAUS #INDvAUS#KLRahul #BorderGavaskarTrophy— FatBatman (@iam_FatBatman) November 22, 2024
