World Test Championship (2021-23)

'He will take revenge in ODI World Cup' - Fans react as Indian crowd booes Richard Kettleborough after Australia's emphatic win in 2023 WTC final

Indian fans booed third umpire Richard Kettleborough after Australia's emphatic win over India in the 2023 WTC final at The Oval.

author-image
Akshay
Updated On
New Update
Richard Kettleborough

Richard Kettleborough (Source: Twitter)

Richard Kettleborough Richard Kettleborough (Source: Twitter)

Australia scripted history at the Oval, becoming the first team to win all the Cricket Governing Body trophies after defeating India by 209 runs in the final of the 2021-23 World Test Championship cycle. Australia were the favourites to lift the trophy but India had a slim chance going into the final day. But following Team India's dramatic collapse, the Aussie bowlers needed just two hours to complete the proceedings.

Meanwhile, the Indian crowd began booing as the name of the match's third umpire, Richard Kettleborough, was announced for the medal collection after the game. The fans were unhappy with Kettleborough's decision to dismiss Shubman Gill in the second innings. Chasing 444, the Indian openers came out to bat with positive intent and scored runs quickly.

However, Gill had to depart in a controversial way off Scott Boland's delivery as Cameron Green pulled off an incredible catch at slips. Replays were shown on TV and the ball appeared to touch the ground, but Kettleborough ruled the decision in Australia's favour and dealt India an early blow.

Kettleborough received massive criticism from all quarters

The English umpire received a lot of criticism from fans, with former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag also mocking him by sharing a meme on social media. Sehwag posted a picture of a blindfolded man and captioned it, “Third umpire while making that decision of Shubman Gill. Inconclusive evidence. When in doubt, it’s Not Out.”

Gill, who got out for 18 runs off 19 balls, also took a subtle dig at the third umpire. After the end of Day 4, the youngster took to Twitter and posted a picture of Green's catch with two magnifying glass emojis, asking Kettleborough to zoom it further. All-rounder Green was also booed by The Oval crowd after his controversial catch.

"At the time I definitely thought I caught it. I think in the heat of the moment, I thought it was clean and threw it up and obviously showed no sign of any doubt. And then it's left up to the third umpire (Kettleborough) and he agreed," Green said to reporters at the end-of-day.

Here's how fans reacted to the Oval crowd booing Richard Kettleborough: 

India Australia WTC