Shubman Gill was sent on the long walk back to the pavilion as Cameron Green managed to should on to a catch offered to him at Gully by the Indian opener in the second innings f the WTC 2023 Final on Day 4 at The Oval.
After a lengthy bit of deliberation and review of the wicket from multiple angles, the batsman was asked to walk back to the dugout as he looked visibly disappointed.
The dismissal came under scrutiny as the removal of the soft signal rule came to the fore.
The regulation was scratched from the ICC Playing Conditions at the beginning of June, with the altered rules coming into action for the first time as England face Ireland at Lord.
“The on-field umpires will consult with the TV umpire before any decisions are taken," the ICC confirmed when the changes was announced in May.
“The committee deliberated this at length and concluded that soft signals were unnecessary and at times confusing since referrals of catches may seem inconclusive in replays."
Under the soft signal rule, the umpire would declare what he feels it is the right call when referring an incident to the third umpire, and if the evidence processed upstairs turns out to be inconclusive, the umpire’s call would stand.
And since this rule was scratched, it proved to be fatal for Gill in terms of his wicket as India was set a target of 444 to chase by Australia.
Gill’s dismissal brought an end to India’s opening stand in the second innings as he fell with India at 41 runs.
India won the toss and put Australia to bat first as the Aussies made a massive 469 runs thanks to tons from Steve Smith and Travis Head, who made 121 and 163 runs respectively.
The Indian innings was held together by contributions from Ajinkya Rahanae, who made 89 runs, while Shardul Thakur made 51 and Ravindra Jadeja scored 48 runs to aid India’s cause.
In reply, Australia scored 270 runs before declaring their innings and asking India to chase down the mammoth total.