"Look where his pointer finger is" - Ex-Aussie captain makes big statement on Steve Smith's attempted catch off Virat Kohli in BGT 2024-25 5th Test

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting reckoned that Steve Smith's fingers were underneath the ball that Virat Kohli edged to begin his innings. The incident took place in the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Day 1 (Friday, January 3).

Team India, who rested incumbent skipper Rohit Sharma, elected to bat after winning the toss in Sydney. However, they lost KL Rahul (4) and Yashasvi Jasiwal (10) in quick succession to reel at 17/2 inside the eight over.

Kohli, playing his first ball of the Test, pushed at a delivery that was going away from him. The ball was dying at Smith who was at second slip. The former Aussie skipper felt he had scooped the ball before being taken by the gully fielder, but the third umpire reckoned that the ball had kissed the ground before being scooped up.

However, Ponting believes the ball hadn't touched the ground and it was a clear catch. Speaking on air via 7Cricket, the Aussie legend said:

"As far as I was concerned, if (the ball) had've come out of (Smith's) hand, he wouldn't have been able to scoop it up. That's what I'm saying, I think his fingers are clearly underneath the ball ... look where his pointer figure is there, it's still underneath the ball."

Virat Kohli was seen breathing a sigh of relief after the giant screen showed 'Not Out' in bold letters. However, Steve Smith was unhappy with the decision and was seen shaking his head in disagreement.

The ace Indian batter has looked solid since then, remaining unbeaten at 11 off 38 deliveries at the time of writing. Shubman Gill has also looked calm and composed for his 20*, as India recover slowly from the early blows.

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How has Virat Kohli performed in BGT 2024-25?

The former India skipper had an ordinary start to the BGT 2024-25, getting out for only five in the first innings of the Perth Test. However, he bounced back with an unbeaten hundred in the second essay, as India won the Test by 295 runs.

Virat Kohli has struggled to get going since then, failing to score a half-century in the next three Tests. So far, the right-hander has amassed 178 runs at an average of almost 30.