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The on-field umpire at the Dubai International Stadium warned the Indian vice-captain in between overs after Shubman Gill's spectacular catch that dismissed Travis Head during Tuesday's (March 4) 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final caused controversy. Head, who has previously been India's archenemy in a variety of formats, was threatening to win the match in the powerplay once more. He tried a massive shot over Varun Chakravarthy after scoring 39 runs in 33 balls, but it was unsuccessful. Gill ran 23 meters in 3.81 seconds without making a mistake and safely caught the ball.
Umpires have a chat with Gill after the catch
However, once the TV broadcasters showed the umpire having a lengthy conversation with Gill, the catch became a controversial topic. The controversy surrounding Gill's catch stems from the fact that the 25-year-old released the ball nearly instantly after it struck his hand. For those who are not familiar, a fielder must have total control of the ball per the MCC Laws of the Game.
"The act of making a catch shall start from the time when the ball first comes into contact with a fielder’s person and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control over both the ball and his/her own movement," states Law 33.3.
Talking about the match, Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. Mohammed Shami dismissed Cooper Connolly for a nine-ball duck after the young all-rounder came into the playing XI just a day after replacing the injured Matthew Short in the squad. Head made the slowest start of his ODI Career after making just one run in 10 balls but quickly made up and upped the ante. However, he lost his wicket on the first ball he faced from Chakravarthy in his career.
Steve Smith and Marnus Labushagne ensured Australia crossed the 100-run mark in the 20th over without losing any more wickets. Later Ravindra Jadeja got rid of Marnus Labuschagne and Josh Inglis before they could do much harm to the Indian side. However, Steve Smith kept on progressing the scoreboard and completed his fifty before being removed by Mohammed Shami in the 37th over.
