Shubman Gill on Wednesday (August 7) showed remarkable composure to pull off a brilliant catch in the third ODI between Sri Lanka and India at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
India opener took the catch to end Kusal Mendis’ knock. Kusal came out to bat in the 20th over after Axar Patel dismissed Pathum Nissanka to give India the much-needed first breakthrough. Avishka Fernando and Kusal quickly steadied the ship for the hosts with an 82-run stand for the second wicket.
Riyan Parag broke the deadlock by dismissing Fernando for 96. Fernando’s dismissal also opened the floodgates as Sri Lanka lost four more wickets in no time and found themselves reeling at 199/6 from 171/1. With India at that point in the lead, Sri Lanka needed a fighting blow and Kusal Mendis rose to the occasion.
The right-handed batsman completed a combative fifty and halted the run by sharing a 36-run stand with Kamindu Mendis for the seventh wicket. However, he could not stay till the end due to Shubman Gill’s brilliant catch.
In the 49th over, Kusal intercepted a short delivery from Kuldeep Yadav towards long-on, where Shubman Gill took a brilliant juggling catch. And while the third umpire ruled the catch legitimate, Sri Lanka Cricket questioned the decision.
Shortly after Kusal was run out, Sri Lanka Cricket expressed their doubts about the catch with a cryptic post on Instagram. They took to the social media platform to post a couple of emojis, suggesting that a better look would have led to a different decision. Interestingly, Sri Lanka Cricket deleted the post quickly. Notably, the photo shared by SLC showed Gill’s foot touching the boundary rope.
Here is Sri Lanka Cricket’s post on Shubman Gill’s catch:
Sri Lanka Cricket Team confirmed that Shubman Gill’s catch of Kusal Medis is NOT OUT and it was 6.
But brother, you don’t have access to technology; it’s your own technology that’s to blame.#IND vs SL photo.twitter.com/x2Nmg9xb9C
— Cric Point (@RealCricPoint) August 7, 2024
Sri Lanka questions Kusal Mendis’ catch on Shubman Gill 👀#SL vs IND #ShubmanGill #KusalMendis #IndoorSport #CricketTwitter image.twitter.com/f9LuGG4V1B
— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) August 7, 2024
As for the game, Sri Lanka has the upper hand in the third and final ODI. At the time of writing this report, India were 135/8 in the 24th over. Earlier in the game, Sri Lanka finished their innings on 248/7, the highest score in the ongoing three-match series. A win in the ongoing game would give Sri Lanka their first ODI series win over India since 1997.