To say the end of the Australian innings on day three of the final Test in Dharamsala was dramatic would be an understatement. Josh Hazlewood was facing Ashwin Ravichandran with just one wicket remaining for Australia. He edged it to Murali Vijay at second slip, where he took a low catch and started celebrating, before running back to the dressing room to get ready for India’s innings.
In the meantime, the umpires wanted to review the catch. The third umpire, after multiple replays, couldn’t find enough evidence that the catch was clean, so the decision was overturned. In a moment of hilarity, the entire Indian team had to come back to the center to finish the innings.
Vijay comes running back from the dressing room after thinking the innings was over.#INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/rJOIt77J9R
— ScoopWhoop News (@scoopwhoopnews) March 27, 2017
Vijay did not seem pleased. He was confident that he took the catch. But one more person was not pleased. Not one bit. It was Australian captain Steve Smith, who was caught swearing on air.
We are entirely not sure if he said f**king cheat — lip reading is not an exact science, you know. But here’s the footage of the incident.
Hey Steve, what do you think about Murali Vijay claiming that dropped catch? pic.twitter.com/YLbYCOYdP3
— Dennis (@DennisCricket_) March 27, 2017
And here’s how Twitter reacted to the whole thing.
Aussies calling Vijay a cheat for that catch.
Aussies calling others a cheat.Irony asked for DRS.— Godman Chikna (@Madan_Chikna) March 27, 2017
Steve Smith just mouthed “fucking cheat” when that disputed catch was given not out
— Ben Dorries (@bendorries76) March 27, 2017
Glass half full Steve Smith: “shit” can look like “cheat” out of the mouth.
Glass half full Australia: India can be 5/23 at stumps.— Adam Peacock (@adampeacock3) March 27, 2017
Irony laughed at itself when Smith called Vijay a ‘Fuckingg Cheat’. #IndvAus
— Sai Agarwal (@Imsaiagarwal) March 27, 2017
If my eyes don’t deceive me, I reckon Steve Smith just mouthed “fucking cheat” #INDvAUS
— Andrew Wu (@wutube) March 27, 2017
Murali Vijay claims a catch that was grounded. Steve Smith captured by TV cameras mouthing “f***ing cheat”
— Ben Horne (@BenHorne8) March 27, 2017
Irony died when Steve Smith called Murali Vijay “Fucking Cheat” #IndvAus
— Jaanvi 🏏 (@ThatCricketGurl) March 27, 2017
Virat Kohli: Aussies are cheats.
Smith cries, Cricket Australia cries, Australian media cries.Now Steve Smith:pic.twitter.com/ufDQU5QDxH— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) March 27, 2017
With the benefit doubt given to Smith (it could have been s**t, for all we know), if he indeed said that, we can’t help but think it was a bit harsh. It was not fully evident if Vijay indeed dropped it — it’s conclusive at best.
But anyway, you really didn’t think we’d go another day in this series without a controversy, did you?
Featured image: BCCI