India won a brave match against Australia in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at the Sydney Cricket Ground, a match that was held on January 2, 2025. The game, which concluded on January 2, 2025, saw India pulling off a win by the smallest 45 runs, and then the series 2-2 were tied. But the course of the win was disputed by the fact that the Decision Review System (DRS) was contested by a controversial call in day five’s final session that could start a discussion among people like.
Australia began their second innings at 278-6, and the match resumed with them leading 314 runs. India’s bowlers, who are captained by the never-failing Jasprit Bumrah, took some quick wickets against the rest of the Australian batsmen, and his team was to chase 328 runs for the victory. The chase seemed to have a rough start when India lost two chances before lunch. Nevertheless, the Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant partnership that was not to be broken helped to retrieve India in contention.
As the match entered its final session, India needed 98 runs with five wickets in hand. The tension was evident as both teams gave their all in the game. It was the controversial DRS incident that took place at the most critical time. The scenario was that India needed 35 runs and had three wickets left. The Australian captain, Pat Cummins, called for a caught-behind against Ravichandran Ashwin, which was judged out by the on-field umpire. The decision forced Australia to play a review of the decision.
The subsequent review did not show any obvious deviation from Hot Spot, but Snickometer revealed that the ball just kissed the edge while it was passing the bat. The third umpire, after a long discussion with the on-field umpire, reversed the original decision, which was bad news for India and its supporters. That set off a chain reaction, and Rohit Sharma, the India captain, entered into a heated argument with the on-field umpires.
Despite the jolt, skilled bowling by the last pair of India, who were led by Mohammed Siraj, ensured the team’s lifeline in the competition. This win brought the series level, increasing India’s possibility to get into the World Test Championship final. The game will be remembered not only because of the tense finish but also because of the controversy around the decision.
Both team captains, however, offered different interpretations of the DRS incident to the media. Rohit Sharma showed his displeasure with the decision, saying that the decision was so crucial it could change the course of the match. On the other hand, there was Pat Cummins, who defended the robustness of the tech and stated that every team must stick to the outcomes of such reviews.
The controversy has brought back talks about the reliability of the DRS technology and the proper interpretation of it in cricket. Analyzing the judgment of the decision by the cricketing world, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is on top of the list of groups that should conduct and make changes in the DRS rules, which is why their demand is increasing. Since the series is now well positioned it is a challenge for the fifth and last Test in Ahmedabad, both teams will battle for the highest place and a chance at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.