"I Thought It Was...": Cameron Green Breaks Silence On Shubman Gill Catch
Cameron Green dove to his left in his preferred gully position to complete the catch, but the debate has opened up in the cricket world on whether the Australia all-rounder was successful in getting his hands under the ball and controlling it.
Australia all-rounder Cameron Green is sure that he held on to the catch that ended India opener Shubman Gill's innings during a pivotal moment of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval on Saturday. On the fourth day of a gripping match at The Oval, Gill was declared out by TV umpire Richard Kettleborough at the stroke of tea after India got a strong start in their run chase, with 444 needed to win. Pacer Scott Boland found the edge of India opener's bat and Cameron Green dove to his left in his preferred gully position to complete the catch, but the debate has opened up in the cricket world on whether the Australia all-rounder was successful in getting his hands under the ball and controlling it.
Green immediately started celebrating the superb catch with his teammates. Fans and many players debated whether the batter was out or not as well as whether Green avoided hitting the ball on the grass when his hand came on the ground after catching it as soon as the 'out' decision was shown on the huge screen. Gill and India captain Rohit Sharma were left unconvinced by the decision as tea was taken right away.
"At the time I definitely thought I caught it. 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," Cameron Green said in a post-match press conference.
The 24-year-old also displayed his athletic prowess by seizing an even better opportunity to knock top scorer Ajinkya Rahane during India's opening innings.
While Green is more known for his bowling and batting skills, he is now beginning to field quite the highlight reel in the challenging gully position he has finally mastered.
"Ever since I've grown up I have put a lot of time and effort into it (catching). I think growing up I would always try to get myself in first or second slip and I have done that basically my whole junior career," Green said.
"I back myself that I can take a few nice catches and I was a bit disappointed the first day dropping that (easy) one, but it's always nice to repay," the all-rounder added.
On what could be an exciting final day in south London, Green has advised his fellow bowlers to practise patience as they look for the final seven breakthroughs. Green is aware that there is still much work for both he and his teammates to complete.
"It will be crucial (to stay patient) as it was today to kind of keep our nerve... one or two wickets and we're back on top. We have to definitely be patient," Green added.
At the end of the day, India scored 164/3 in 40 overs with Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli at the crease with scores of 20(59)* and 44(60)*.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
India Cricket Team
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