Indian Cricket Board official sends indirect message to Shubman Gill following his viral post

The focus of day 4 and the lead-up to the fifth and final day remained that contentious catch by Cameron Green that resulted in the dismissal of Shubman Gill, despite India still being very much in the game with a well-set Virat Kohli unbeaten and the team in sight of a historic chase at The Oval for the World Test Championship title. Later, the India opener vented his displeasure by criticising the umpires for the expulsion in a post that went viral online. However, BCCI appeared to be fairly dissatisfied and indirectly addressed Shubman throughout the ongoing discussion.

Gill nicked the length ball from Scott Boland straight to Green at the gully in the eighth over of India’s chasing. To accomplish the stunning move, the Australian all-rounder had to dive to his left. The umpire went upstairs to conduct a review, but Gill stayed at the crease. Even though pictures of the ball striking the turf went viral on social media, the TV umpire regarded the catch as legal.

‘In the heat of the moment, I thought it was clean’ – Cameron Green on the controversial catch

Shubman Gill posted a picture of Green’s catch on social media with the emoticon of a magnifying glass after the game, mocking the umpires in the process. In an interview with the media, Indian Cricket Board President Rajeev Shukla shared his perspective on the dismissal, which has divided cricket’s global community on social media. He said, in a subliminal message to Gill: “We should not create a dispute over this. We should accept the decision of the Third umpire.”

The all-rounder continued to press the issue later when Green was asked to comment on the catch and Gill’s response to it at the day’s end press conference. “At the time I definitely thought I caught it,” Green said. “I think in the heat of the moment, I thought it was clean and threw it up and obviously showed no sign of any doubt. And then it’s left up to the third umpire (Kettleborough) and he agreed.”

Shukla, on the other hand, is still confident that India can attempt to make history on Test Day 5. With seven wickets in hand, the team needs 280 runs to win. “Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli are batting well and if everyone plays safe we can chase down the target as the target is not that big,” said Shukla.