It isn’t often that we see a controversy-free series between Indian and Australian teams Down Under. On multiple occasions, Indian teams have come across some bizarre acts in Australia, especially in red-ball matches. As the India A team took on Australia A in the second unofficial Test in Melbourne, a bizarre incident took place. Australian batter Marcus Harris didn’t move despite what seemed to be a clear caught behind. As the umpire turned down the strong appeal and gave the decision in the favour of the batter, there wasn’t much the Indians could do as the DRS option wasn’t available.
Facing India A off-spinner Tanush Kotian, Harris seemed to have been caught comfortably at first slip, prompting even celebrations from the Indian team. Though the players were convinced that Kotian was out, the umpire didn’t raise his finger, leaving the touring team absolutely shattered.
The absence of DRS in the unofficial Test series left the Indians with no other option but to accept the on-field umpire’s call.
With the caught-behind chances ruled out, it was also questioned whether Harris would’ve been out LBW, if he had in fact not edged the delivery from Kotian. But, with the ball pitching outside leg, LBW was also ruled out. Later, Harris seemed to have told Kotian that the ball had hit his back leg. But, replays confirmed that the ball had hit the front pad, hence raising suspicion of whether Harris actually knew what had happened.
The close-in fielders, including KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel, were confident of Harris’ dismissal earlier but looked befuddled when the decision came in the batting side’s favour. Here’s the video:
#MarcusHarris survives a huge appeal from #TanushKotian, and that decision turns the tide in Australia A’s favor!
He went on to score crucial 74 runs, putting his team in the driver’s seat!
Day 2 #AUSAvINDAOnStar | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1 & Star Sports 1 HD pic.twitter.com/tVpwFWfibP
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 8, 2024
“Externally, obviously this game was getting built up a lot, which is fair enough,” Harris sa
Marcus Harris is one of the top contenders to open for Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy alonside Usman Khawaja. Harris, who hit 74 runs against India A on Friday, feels he is ready to deliver on the big stage.
“I feel like I’ve been batting well, but so have lots of people. If I get called upon, I feel like I’m ready to go — and if I don’t, then so be it,” he said.
Topics mentioned in this article