Australian debutant Beau Webster has shared his thoughts on Steve Smith’s controversial dismissal by Virat Kohli on the first day of the 2024-25 New Year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against India at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney on Friday, January 3.
On day one, the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) witnessed high drama as Virat Kohli narrowly escaped dismissal against Australia. A tense moment took place in the 7.5 overs of India’s first session when Virat Kohli stepped to the crease, replacing Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Virat Kohli survives a close call at the SCG as Beau Webster shares insights
Facing his first delivery from Australian pacer Scott Boland, Kohli had a lucky escape from what could have been another embarrassment for him. Scott Boland hit a long shot that caught the edge of Kohli’s bat, sending the ball towards the track.
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Steve Smith, who was stationed at slip, tried to catch the ball but the ball grazed the turf just before it was picked up by another Australian outfielder at gully. The umpire on the field made a close call to the third official, Joel Wilson, who carefully examined multiple camera angles.
After a thorough examination, the decision went in favor of India, allowing Kohli to continue with the innings, but he failed to take advantage of the given straw in Sydney. Now, adding to the tension, Beau Webster has expressed his disappointment, saying that while the initial look seemed clear, slow-motion replays confirmed the ball had made contact with the ground.
It’s just a matter of how much grass touched the ball: Beau Webster
Beau Webster said in his post-match press conference following the end of day one at the SCG: “Yeah, I had a good view. I thought it was a clear catch considering where I was. Obviously, when you slow it down and replay it in slow motion, there’s probably some grass that touched that ball. It’s just a matter of how much the grass touched the ball.”
He also highlighted the challenges of small catches and the increasing reliance on advanced technology in modern cricket. However, Webster said the Australian team was very happy that Kohli failed to convert his reprieve into a century, but the incident became a major talking point.
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Beau Webster explained, “Anytime you hit the ball low, there’s always going to be some grass near the ball, especially when you slow it down. So we all thought he was out, and unfortunately it didn’t work out for us, but we’re all quite happy that Virat Kohli didn’t get a 100 after that.”
It was a tough call for the third umpire as well: Beau Webster
He signed off by saying, “It was hard. It’s always tough for a third umpire when you have that kind of replay and you have so much slow technology these days. I feel like it was kind of inevitable at the end when that ball got as close to the turf as it did. Yes, a little bit.”
Notably, Virat Kohli was eventually removed by Scott Boland for just 17 runs off 69 balls as India could manage just 185 runs on the board in their first innings against Australia in the ongoing New Year Test.
