"Maybe it was an over-confident decision" - Yashasvi Jaiswal's coach Jwala Singh on Indian opener's controversial dismissal in 4th BGT 2024-25 Test

Yashasvi Jaiswal's coach Jwala Singh has shared his views on the controversy surrounding the Indian opener’s dismissal on Day 5 of the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne on Monday, December 30. While refusing to give his verdict of whether the batter was out or not, Singh opined that the third umpire perhaps made an over-confident decision.

Jaiswal (84) was adjudged caught behind to Australian captain Pat Cummins as he attempted to pull a delivery heading down the leg side. While there was no murmur on Snickometer, the third umpire overturned the on-field decision of not out on the basis of a deflection as the ball went past the bat and the glove.

There have been split opinions over the verdict, which has turned into a major talking point. News agency ANI quoted Singh as saying that the batter should have got the benefit of the doubt since the evidence was not conclusive enough to overturn the original decision of not out.

"So, there is a basic rule of cricket. If there are such decisions where there is doubt and the umpire is not 100% sure, then the batsman gets the benefit of doubt. So, what happened yesterday when the on-field umpire did not give an out," Singh commented.

According to the coach, the dismissal was a defining one in the context of the match. He believes that India would have saved the game had Jaiswal batted on.

"It was a very crucial shot for our India team. Because if he had played, we would not have lost the match. We would have drawn," he added.

Singh also raised questions about the manner in which the third umpire in the Boxing Day Test utilized the technology at his disposal before arriving at a conclusion. He stated:

"So, if the on-field umpire is not using a snickometer or a hotspot, I don't know how much technology he is using. So, after looking at all these things, this decision should have been taken. If you just look at the camera and say that he is out and we will give him an out, then maybe it was an over-confident decision. Whether he was out or not, whether he hit the ball or not, I would not like to go into that topic."

At the post-match conference, Indian captain Rohit Sharma agreed that, to the naked eye, it seemed like there was a deflection. He, however, lamented that India often end up on the wrong side of such decisions.

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Yashasvi Jaiswal's valiant knock at MCG went in vain

Chasing 340, Jaiswal top-scored for India with 84 off 208 balls, occupying the crease for 310 minutes. The left-hander struck only eight fours during his vigil at the crease. India, were, however all-out for 155 as Rishabh Pant (30) was the only other batter to reach double figures. For Australia, Cummins and Scott Boland claimed three scalps each, while Nathan Lyon picked up two.