Australia all-rounder Cameron Green remained unperturbed by the boos and chants of ‘cheater’ coming from Indian fans during Day 4 of the World Test Championship final against India at The Oval. The incident occurred after Green took a sensational catch to dismiss Indian opener Shubman Gill in India’s fourth innings.
Australia had declared their second innings at 270 for 8, setting a challenging target of 444 runs for India, who needed a record-breaking chase to make history. India began their innings positively, with Gill and Rohit Sharma providing a brisk start, taking the score to 41 for 0 and putting pressure on the Australian bowlers on a relatively flat pitch at The Oval.
However, the momentum shifted when Scott Boland managed to get an edge off Gill’s bat as the young opener lunged forward to a length delivery. The ball grazed the shoulder of Gill’s bat and flew towards the slip cordon. It was then that Cameron Green, positioned at gully, dived to his left and extended his left arm to complete the catch. While Green started celebrating, Gill remained unconvinced, suggesting that the catch might not have been clean. The on-field umpires conferred and referred the decision to the third umpire, Richard Kettleborough.
Though it was evident that Green had caught the ball cleanly in the air, controversy arose when TV replays displayed the all-rounder’s finger appearing to touch the ground during the catch. In certain angles, it seemed as though the ball might have touched the ground through Green’s fingers. Shubman Gill even shared an image of the catch on Instagram, highlighting the apparent contact with the ground.
Despite the conflicting visuals, the third umpire ultimately ruled Shubman Gill out, stating that he found Green’s fingers underneath the ball when they made contact with the ground. Gill was taken aback by the decision, and Rohit Sharma, visibly distraught, engaged in a discussion with the umpires, but the young opener had to accept his dismissal.
Expressing their discontent, the Indian fans in the crowd voiced their feelings by booing Cameron Green when he later came on to bowl and chanting ‘cheater, cheater’.
When asked about his thoughts on the “cheater” chants from the crowd, Green acknowledged the passionate nature of the Indian fans. He understood that the fans were disappointed after witnessing the dismissal of one of their favorite players, Shubman Gill. Green accepted the situation, stating, “Yeah, obviously the Indian crowd are so passionate. And yeah, obviously one of the favorite guys, Shubman Gill, got out and I think that’s what they’re all kind of looking forward to watching. So yeah, it is what it is, and yeah, we move on.”