The former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin sparked a debate on social media as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s controversial dismissal took place during the fourth Test of Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 30.
He got dismissed as Australian captain Pat Cummins appealed for a review against him off a delivery that the Indian batter had faced. Although there was no concrete evidence to prove that the ball might have kissed the bat or gloves of Jaiswal, the third umpire ruled him out, and that became highly contentious.
And this four-word tweet by Ashwin went viral on social media: “Interesting and huge moment.” The 38-year-old cricket player had already announced his retirement from international cricket. Ashwin has pinpointed the controversy, considering the rules of ICC: if a snickometer is shown and no disturbance is indicated, the batsman cannot be given out.
If that was not enough, cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, commentating for Star Sports then, went on to lambast the third umpire for the decision on air. The thousands of Indian fans at the ground were angry with the call as Jaiswal walked into the pavilion amidst the cacophony of “Cheating, cheating”.
Jaiswal played 208 balls, making 84 runs with the help of eight boundaries in his innings. He shared an 88-run partnership with Rishabh Pant, who made 30 runs, to steady the innings that was tottering at 33 for three wickets in the first session.
Most notably, Jaiswal’s performance also registered his name in the record books as he became the second Indian to score most runs in a calendar year in Tests. Having made his Test debut in July 2023, he finished off the year with 1,478 runs in 15 matches. The record for most runs in a calendar year in Test cricket for India is held by Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 1,562 runs back in 2010.
