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Mitchell Starc did not see anything wrong in the third-umpire ruling KL Rahul out in what was deemed a controversial call.
KL Rahul’s dismissal riled up the Indian supporters and experts with many deeming that the third-umpire made the incorrect decision to rule him out. (Image: AP)
Following the end of the day’s play, Australia’s left-arm fast-bowler, Mitchell Starc felt that the controversial decision that led to KL Rahul’s dismissal was a ‘regulation wicket’. The pacer had spoken to the media at a press conference where he did not see anything wrong with the wicket which ended the opening batter’s time in the middle in the first innings of the Border-Gavaskar series-opener in Perth.
Rahul’s dismissal left fans and experts unpleased with the decision taken by the third umpire who asked the on-field official to overturn the decision. During the review taken by the Australian camp, the third-umpire did not have a split-screen view which would have given the official a better idea of what went down.
The spike seen on the snicko-meter was that of the bat touching the pads, rather than the ball hitting the pads, something the third-umpire had gotten wrong while making his decision.
“It got overturned obviously, but I thought it was regulation, the sound it made, the timing of it, I thought it was just a regulation wicket,” Starc said at a press conference.
Despite a record-setting 17 wickets falling on the opening day of the Test, Starc feels that the pitch used in the Optus stadium will become easier to bat with as the days go by. He also credited the bowlers for doing their job well which resulted in a low-scoring affair with the first innings likely ending by the second day.
“I think there was a fair bit of good bowling today. Obviously, there was enough in the wicket and it probably felt like it was a hardball wicket,” Starc said.
“When the ball started to get softer towards the back end of that Indian innings, it probably didn’t do as much. (There was) still enough there, but it didn’t do as much as the brand-new hardball,” he added.
The veteran fast-bowler has also suggested that the track used in Perth could be one of the slowest used in the country.
“If you can get through the testing period, it does get slightly easier. That being said, the outfield is quite slow, so that probably made runs a bit hard to come by. That’s probably the slowest outfield we’ve seen in the west for a long time.”
With seven wickets down, Starc and the wicketkeeper-batter, Alex Carey will return to the field as the two and the remaining batters will hope that they can at least take a first-innings lead at the end of their batting innings.
(with PTI Inputs)
