The Indian cricket team has every right to feel they have been robbed. Robbed of an opportunity to square the 4-match Test series with the Aussies at the Sydney Cricket Grounds at one all.
But as they found out over the past five days of intense and competitive cricket, they were not just up against the mighty Australians. But some of the most bizarre and unfortunate umpiring decisions that went against them and were instrumental in granting the Aussies their 16th straight victory.
If I were an Australian, I would not feel much honor in such gamesmanship, but if I were an Indian, I would probably switch from cricket to some other sports, for what transpired as a comedy of errors by the on-field umpires and augmented by the biased decisions of a third umpire who was conveniently an Australian, the Indian cricket team had no chance.
Case A: Andrew Symonds edges one to the wicketkeeper; the fielding side appeals vociferously; the umpire says not out. TV replays show that the batsman had got a thick edge! The Australians were reeling at that point with 6 wickets down. That reprieve. Along with two other let-ups further in the innings of Symonds allowed him to reach a score of 162 not out, taking out some of India’s fire with him.
Case B: Andrew Symonds misses a ball down the leg-side; the wicketkeeper whips off the bails and appeals for a stumping to the leg umpire. Not out, says the third umpire who had all the time and technology in the world to tell him what viewers already knew… The batsman was out of the crease when the bails were knocked off! Even on the fifth and final day Rahul Dravid while holding a steady partnership with Saurav Ganguly was summarily sent off when the Australians vociferously appealed and Steve Bucknor caved in. Notwithstanding the TV replays, this was an incredible lack of umpiring judgment. Ganguly, while cruising past his half century was another victim to a dubious decision by the field umpire who chose not to take advantage of the tools available. Instead, Mark Benson relied on the words of Ricky Ponting who earlier had demonstrated how honest he was when he claimed a bat-pad catch after clearly grounding the ball in the process. Why Benson chose to take Ponting’s word for it, after all that had happened, is something only he has to answer to.
Ricky Ponting wanted to win this one bad to equal Steve Waugh’s record. But in the process, he tainted this victory with his team’s appeals that swayed umpire decisions against the Indians. There is no honor in such victories or records. The Indians were definitely robbed Down Under!
