Mohammed Siraj gave India a solid start in the ongoing first Test against Australia in Nagpur by sending back Usman Khawaja for just 1. The Australia opener arrived in India after experiencing a good summer with the bat at home.
However, his form and recent batting exploits counted for little as Siraj struck on his very first ball to send the southpaw back to the pavilion. The wicket, however, did not come without a good dose of drama.
On the first ball of the second over, Siraj’s inswinging delivery hit Usman Khawaja on his pads. And while the pacer made a huge appeal for an lbw decision, it looked like the ball had pitched just outside leg. That was one of the reasons why umpire Nitin Menon adjudged the batsman not out.
Siraj’s teammates were not very convinced either as they gathered for a quick chat. Captain Rohit Sharma was then seen running to KS Bharat for confirmation before eventually deciding to go for the review with just one second left on the timer.
Team India players surprised:
At first, the ball appeared to be travelling down leg side and it looked like it would go down leg or be umpire’s call at best. And the India players’ reaction made it very clear when they saw the ball land during the replay.
Ball tracker broken? ? https://t.co/E6Aujtva2N
— Travis Boak (@travisboak10) February 9, 2023
The ball-tracker, however, had a big surprise as it showed three reds with ball hitting a good part of the leg-stump. And as soon as the ball-tracker confirmed Khawaja’s wicket, the India players, who were probably expecting a not-out call, celebrated wildly.
Here is a clip of the moment:
Team India's Players Reaction After Usman Khawaja Wicket#INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/iRGgQtUsiq
— Manvi Nautiyal (@ManviNautiyal) February 9, 2023
After Khawaja’s departure, David Warner also failed to get going and departed for 1. Mohammed Shami sent back Warner by castling him with a beauty. As of now, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne have steadied the ship for the visitors. At the time of writing this report, Australia were on 59 for 2.