Ricky Ponting slams India star amid ugly new Cam Green catch furore

Ricky Ponting has taken aim at the actions of Shubman Gill after the Indian cricket star found himself at the centre of the biggest controversy in his side's World Test Championship (WTC) final defeat to Australia. Gill's dismissal on day four after a controversial catch from Cameron Green continued to be a major talking point after the Aussies wrapped up a commanding 209-run win on day five at The Oval.

Green was accused of being a "cheat" by Indian fans after his stunning catch to remove Gill for 18, with many fuming viewers insisting the Aussie didn't have his fingers fully under the ball when it touched the ground. Third umpire Richard Kettleborough saw enough evidence from replays to come to the conclusion that Green took a fair catch.

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That sparked scenes at The Oval described as "shameful" across the cricket world as crowd chants of "cheat" were directed Green's way. Green was also targeted in disgusting social posts that also referenced his girlfriend, with Gill inflaming the social media vitriol with a post of his own that Ponting says should result in a sanction for the India batter.

Shubman Gill tweet sparks backlash

Gill posted a screenshot of the Green catch alongside a pair of magnifying glasses and a facepalm emoji. An angry Ponting insisted it was a direct attack on the umpires from Gill, who he suggests could find himself in hot water.

Ricky Ponting says Shubman Gill should be sanctioned

“Something is definitely going to come of that. There will be some sort of fine, or maybe even a suspension," Ponting said. “That is a direct crack at the umpire for the decision that they made. You can’t do that. The whole world was going to do that for him... he didn’t need to say a word.”

Former Australia coach Justin Langer agreed that it was an irresponsible act from Gill in an age where players have to be so careful on social media. “One of the challenges now of a modern-day cricketer is there’s so much social media,” Langer said.

“The Gill tweet I think is a bit irresponsible, shows some inexperience. This is the world we live in with social media.”

India captain Rohit Sharma was still questioning the umpires over the questionable incident after his side's match-defining collapse on day five. "The third umpire should have seen a little more replays of how the catch has been held," Sharma said after the match.

"I think it was three or four times he saw and he was convinced with it. When a catch like that has been taken, you need to be more than 100 per cent sure because it's a final and we were at that important stage of the game as well.

"More camera angles should have been shown. There was only one or two camera angles that were shown. We've got 10 different angles in IPL. I don't know why in a world event like this, there was no ultra motion that was seen or any kind of zoomed image was seen." The India skipper also complained that the WTC final should be played over three matches in future.

Pat Cummins responds to India 'excuses'

Not surprisingly, Australia skipper Pat Cummins saw things differently and backed the decision ultimately handed down by the experienced match officials. In a cheeky swipe at India's cricket-mad supporters, the Aussie skipper suggested they weren't exactly objective when it came to the contentious incident.

"They are passionate fans, but I thought it was a fair catch," Cummins said after Australia's win. "It was an absolute screamer and obviously we're just players, we're out on the field so we leave it in the umpire's hands.

"And personally, probably the best umpire in the world, he knows the rule books, he's seen every angle. I'd probably back his decision more so than emotional, passionate fans that are looking on a big screen from 100 meters away."

Cummins added about Rohit's suggestion of a three-match WTC final series: “Ideally you’d have a 50-match series but the Olympics have come down to one race to win a gold medal. AFL, NRL seasons have finals. That’s sport,” the Aussie captain said.

with agencies

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