Virat Kohli questioned the on-field umpire’s decision after a controversial LBW review involving Australia’s Mitchell Marsh during Day 2 of the second Test against India at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday, December 7. Kohli argued with on-field umpire Richard Illingworth about the LBW call.
The decision followed an appeal from Team India for an LBW when Marsh played on the front foot against Ravichandran Ashwin in the 58th over. The on-field umpire initially ruled not out.
After the DRS review, replays showed that the bat was close to the pad when the ball made contact. The visuals suggested the ball hit the pad first instead of the bat. Despite this evidence, third umpire Richard Kettleborough upheld the on-field decision, stating there was no conclusive evidence.
Kohli pointed out a similar incident during the first Test in Perth involving KL Rahul. Kohli reminded the umpire that Rahul was given out based on two noise spikes. One spike came from the bat and the other from the pad. "KL's was the same in Perth, two spikes. One was bat and one was pad," Kohli told the umpire.
Mitchell Marsh was later dismissed by Ashwin. The Australian all-rounder did not opt for a review of a caught-behind decision, even though he did not make contact with the ball at the wicketkeeper’s end. It was Ashwin's first wicket of the innings.
Jasprit Bumrah contributed significantly for India, removing Nathan McSweeney and Steve Smith on Day 2 after taking Usman Khawaja’s wicket on the opening day.
On the first day of the pink-ball Test, India’s captain Rohit Sharma chose to bat first. Australia’s Mitchell Starc delivered a standout performance, claiming six wickets and skittling India for just 180 runs.
Later, McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne worked together to anchor the Australian batting line-up, reaching stumps with the hosts at 86-1. India currently leads the five-Test series 1-0 after a dominant 295-run victory over Australia in the first Test held in Perth.
