During the Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai, India’s Shubman Gill was warned by the umpire after taking a catch of Australia’s Travis Head. The incident occurred on the second ball of the ninth over, when Gill successfully caught a mis-hit but released the ball too quickly thereafter. While there is no strict time limit for completing a catch, cricket rules state that a player must have complete control of both the ball and their movement. Australia scored 76 for 2 after 15 overs, with India honoring domestic legend Padmakar Shivalkar by wearing black armbands.
During the Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday, Indian batsman Shubman Gill was given a warning by the umpire after catching Australia opener Travis Head. The noteworthy moment occurred on the second ball of the ninth over of Australia’s innings when Head misjudged a pull shot against Varun Chakravarthy’s delivery. The ball was lofted towards long-off, and Gill made an impressive effort to cover a significant distance to claim the catch. Although Gill executed the catch exceptionally well, the umpire was not entirely satisfied with how quickly he released the ball right after making the catch, prompting him to issue a warning to the young player.
The rule states:
There are no explicit guidelines regarding the duration a fielder must hold onto the ball to complete a catch. However, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) rule specifies that a player must have total control over both the ball and their movement for the catch to be deemed complete.
“The act of making a catch shall commence when the ball first contacts a fielder’s person and conclude when a fielder gains complete control over both the ball and his/her own movement,” according to the rule.
After choosing to bat first, Australia scored 76 for 2 after 15 overs, with captain Steve Smith alongside Marnus Labuschagne.
Mohammed Shami took the wicket of Cooper Connolly (0) in the third over, while Chakravarthy dismissed Head (39) in the second last over of the first powerplay.
The Indian team is wearing black armbands to honor the memory of domestic cricket icon Padmakar Shivalkar, who passed away due to age-related health issues.
This semi-final marks the first ODI between India and Australia since the World Cup final on November 19, 2023, in Ahmedabad, which Australia won by 6 wickets.
India secured their place in the semi-finals by winning all three of their group stage matches against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand.
The other semi-final is scheduled for Wednesday in Lahore, featuring Group B leaders South Africa facing Group A runners-up New Zealand.
Playing XIs
Australia: Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Steven Smith (capt), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha.
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.
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