On Day 2 of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia, a familiar scene could be seen: Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey would remove the bails and Steve Smith, the captain, would rapidly appeal for a stumping. The Aussies had found a loophole in the DRS rule and were taking full advantage of it. However, commentators exposed their sneaky trick on social media before an ex-Indian cricketer pointed it out. Australia’s strategy was to instantly take any stumping appeals up to the third umpire, who, according to the rule, also had to check for outside edges. The fielding team had nothing to lose when appealing for stumping or caught-behind dismissals. This tactic proved successful when Ravichandran Ashwin was dismissed in the first innings on Day 1 in Indore. The batsman had got an edge off a delivery from Matthew Kuhnemann, though Carey took off the bails immediately after. Square-leg umpire Joel Wilson consequently sent it upstairs for a stumping review, superseded by the third umpire’s verdict that Ashwin had feathered the ball and was out for 3.
Speakin’ on this, former Indian player Parthiv Patel highlighted: “Steve Smith is aware of that, and he exploited the loophole. The on-field umpire should avoid going to the third umpire if he is sure that it’s not out when there is an appeal for a stumping”. “The ideal solution is that the TV umpire should only review the stumping if the appeal is made only for a stumping. A caught behind should not be checked unless the fielding captain opts for a review.”
