Image: Rajeev Shukla criticized the third umpire for not trusting the technology / © Cricket.com
India’s loss in the 4th Test against Australia by 184 runs on December 30, 2024, ended their hopes of retaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy. With the series now at 2-1 in Australia’s favor, India can only draw the series 2-2 if they win the final Test in Sydney.
The match saw India in a challenging position, with early wickets falling on Day 5 after a strong partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant. Jaiswal was controversially dismissed in the 71st over despite no conclusive evidence on Snicko. The third umpire overruled the on-field decision, sparking criticism from BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, who emphasized the importance of trusting technology. He said:
Yashaswi Jaiswal was clearly not out. Third umpire should have taken note of what technology was suggesting. While over ruling field umpire third umpire should have solid reasons.
India’s defeat lowered their World Test Championship points percentage to 52.78%, keeping them third in the standings. Australia boosted their points to 61.46%, while South Africa has already qualified for the WTC final.