Shubman Gill was warned by the umpire Richard Illingworth after he completed Travis Head’s catch in the Champions Trophy semi-final clash against India. The umpire wasn’t happy that the cricketer left it soon after grabbing it.
Travis Head, who had a slow start to his innings against India in the Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai, changed gears after his opening partner Cooper Connolly departed without opening his tally. Head took on the Indian bowlers, smacking Mohammed Shami for three consecutive boundaries and hitting a six against Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya. The 31-year-old showed glimpses of his onslaught in the 2023 ODI Cup final and his wicket was a priority for the Men in Blue.
Captain Rohit Sharma introduced spinners to counter Head’s wrath but Kuldeep Yadav couldn’t make the most of the opportunity. The 37-year-old soon moved to Varun Chakravarthy and the spinner was able to dismiss Head in his very first over. Interestingly, in his first ball against Varun, the Australian international tried to smack him for a six but failed to time it. Shubman Gill, who was stationed in the long-off region, covered a good distance to complete the catch. With that, Head departed after scoring 39 runs off 33 deliveries.
Meanwhile, Gill’s catch stirred controversy. The on-field umpire Richard Illingworth wasn’t happy with how Gill chose to drop the ball soon after he completed the catch. Even though it was given out, the umpire warned the youngster about a possible change in their decision in the future if he repeats it.
Australia post 264 in first innings
After Head departed, Steve Smith took over and played a vital knock of 73 runs. He stitched an important partnership with Labuschagne and kept going even after Australia lost two quick wickets. After his dismissal, Alex Carey scored 61 runs off 57 deliveries. Shreyas Iyer’s direct hit sent him packing, or else the Aussies could have added more runs to their total.
They eventually posted 264 runs in the first innings. Mohammed Shami had a terrific day in the middle, picking up a three-wicket haul, while Varun and Ravindra Jadeja clinched two.
