Australian opener Matthew Wade seemed highly unhappy with the way captain Tim Paine was given out caught behind on day 3 of the second Test at the MCG.
Wade’s statement about consistent implementation of DRS came after Paine was given out, caught behind off Ravindra Jadeja. The wicketkeeper-batsman was ruled out after the on-field call by Paul Reiffel was overturned by third umpire Paul Wilson.
The DRS review taken by Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane didn’t show any edge on the hotspot, but a clear spike was shown when the third umpire moved to snicko as per protocol.
Hence Paine was given caught behind, though he didn't hide his disappointment over the decision while leaving the field, prompting Wade to compare it with Australia's review of Cheteshwar Pujara on the second day's play on Sunday.
Wade took objection to Pujara's case as then also there was no mark on the hot spot and a very small spike on Snicko, although the Indian was given a benefit of doubt, suggesting that the toe of his bat had clipped his pad.
AUS v IND 2020-21: Ravindra Jadeja had the last laugh after Tim Paine’s sledge on Day 3 at MCG
"From what I've seen it looked pretty similar to the first ball of yesterday, the one we actually referred, I think it was off Pujara,” Wade said during a presser after day three at the MCG.
"So from all reports and what I've seen, Snicko showed a very similar thing, one was given out and one was not out. That's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, but that's what it looked like from where we've been sitting and watching,” he added.
"I heard a noise on the Pujara one, I was at first slip at the time, and his bat was the only thing out there, and then we saw what you guys saw on the ground, which was a small spike. Either way, if it was out or not out, consistency is all you want as a player,” Wade said.
The makeshift opener also blamed another poor show by home batsmen as Australia finished day three on 133/6 with Cameron Green and Pat Cummins at the crease, with a lead of 2 runs.
"We've only got ourselves to blame a little bit there, but they've (India) been pretty much on the mark from the start. To be fair we haven't gone deep enough yet to really cash in on tired bowlers late in the day. Our intent to go out and score obviously as a batting group and individually, but they're making it quite challenging at times," Wade, who top-scored for Australia with a defiant 137-ball 40, said.
Wade, who has been opening the innings in place of injured David Warner spoke about the mercurial batsman.
He said, "We know how good Davey's (David Warner) been for a very, very long time, so it hurts having a guy out that averages nearly 50 in Test cricket obviously. We've done the best we can possibly do and will continue to do the same things when we're asked for it."
Wade hoped for a lead above 100 runs, as he thinks Indian batsmen will find it hard to chase down a three-figure target against Australian bowlers.
"We will take anything, to be honest. Anything over 100 will be good. It would be really if these two put on a nice partnership together, something we haven't done enough of over this Test match," he said.
(PTI inputs)
