WTC 2023 Final: Was Shubman Gill out? Here's why the soft signal wasn't used

Controversy erupted in the World Test Championship final when Shubman Gill was given out in the fourth innings. Chasing a mammoth 444 runs put up by Australia, India lost their first wicket when Shubman Gill edged a Scott Boland delivery, only to see Cameron Green catch it at Gully. The catch appeared to be not taken clearly, and the on-field umpire decided to take the help of the third umpire, Richard Kettleborough.

Why there was no soft signal in the WTC final?

Australian players were visibly confident, but the Indian duo of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill raised doubt over the manner Green took the catch. The television umpire went through several camera angles and replays before retaining the on-field umpire's decision.

The third umpire felt he had conclusive evidence that there were fingers underneath the ball at the time of the catch. But there were no soft signals from the umpires when they referred the decision to the upstairs. ICC already scarred the soft signal rule back in May. They said, "The on-field umpires will consult with the TV umpire before any decisions are taken."

Chairman of ICC's Men’s Cricket Committee Sourav Ganguly had already addressed the issues. “Soft signals have been discussed at previous cricket committee meetings over the last couple of years.

"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."

MCC has a defining meaning when a catch is being taken. As per the Law 33.3, "from the time when the ball first comes into contact with a fielder’s person and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control over both the ball and his/her own movement."

Read More: WTC Final, IND vs AUS Day 4 Live Score

It remains to be seen how India fare in the WTC final. The team lost to New Zealand in the inaugural edition of the championship game last year and will be determined to lay their hand on the trophy.

WTC Final XIs

Australia XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj