Mathew Hayden. (Photo Source: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
The Indian T20I team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, performed well in their recent match against Australia, securing a 4-1 series victory. Despite posting a modest total of 160 on the board, considered below par at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Indian bowlers successfully defended the total, winning the game by six runs.
Mukesh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh bowled exceptionally well in the final overs. Mukesh took three wickets for 32 runs, and Arshdeep took two wickets for 40 runs, successfully defending 10 runs in the last over.
However, there was some controversy in the final over. The umpire made a couple of questionable decisions that benefited India, leading to criticism from Australia’s Matthew Hayden, who was doing commentary. Hayden pointed out a wide that wasn’t called when Arshdeep bowled a bouncer above Matthew Wade’s head.
“You can see why he is upset, that’s definitely a wide. Way over his head. It has to be about his position as well. He was standing up on that ball and it was still over his head,” Hayden said.
Later in the same over, the umpire accidentally got hit by a shot from Nathan Ellis that appeared destined for the boundary. Hayden, visibly frustrated, commented,
“The umpire has done his job for the second time this over. Have a look at this. This time, it’s the one in front, not on the square. They are tag-teaming here.”
Pathetic from a commentator: A Twitter user said
Some Twitter users didn’t appreciate Hayden’s remarks, with one saying, “Didn’t particularly enjoy this remark by Matthew Hayden,” and another responding, “Pathetic from a commentator! At best it would’ve been a couple, not that it matters.” A few others argued that even if the wide had been called, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome much. However, in the end, India won, and Hayden’s comments seemed unnecessary.
Moving ahead, the Indian team will be aiming to maintain their good form in the upcoming series scheduled to commence on December 10.