'Steve Smith is aware and he exploited the loophole' - Australia's sneaky DRS trick exposed on Day 2 of Indore Test

Australia (Image credit: Twitter)

Australia were on full alert on the field on Day 2 of the third Test against India and even found a loophole in the DRS rule to get Indian batters out. Whenever a batter failed to defend the ball, Australia's wicketkeeper Alex Carey could be seen removing the bails and captain Smith quickly appealing for stumping. However, the visitors' secret strategy to make the most of the DRS loophole in Indore on Thursday was exposed on social media. The Aussies even got two key dismissals with this sneaky tactic that got a former Indian cricketer to highlight the problem and suggest a solution.

Every time a stumping appeal is made, it is immediately sent upstairs where the third umpire, as per rule, also checks the outside edge. By this logic, if the fielding team manages to convince the square-leg umpire for a stumping appeal, the third-umpire will check the outside edge as well. It also implies that they don't lose a review on potential caught behind dismissals.

The trick worked for Australia on Day 1 when they got rid of Ravichandran Ashwin in the first innings in Day 1. The India all-rounder had got a nick off a delivery from Matthew Kuhnemann but the opponents were not sure about it. However, Carey, who completed the catch behind, whipped off the bails and square-leg umpire Joel Wilson sent it upstairs for a stumping review. But before the stumping could be checked, the umpire found that Ashwin had feathered the ball and as a result he was dismissed for 3 runs.

'He is aware of that and he exploited': Parthiv Patel

Former India wicketkeeper batter Parthiv Patel spoke about how Smith exploited loophole and proposed changes to the DRS rule.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Parthiv said, "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."