Smith '100%' certain he got his hand under Kohli's catch

Steven Smith is "100%" certain he got his hand under the ball when he attempted to catch Virat Kohli at slip on the first day of the SCG Test, a decision that was referred to the TV umpire and eventually ruled not out.

"No denying it whatsoever, 100%," Smith told Fox Cricket at the lunch break when asked if he got his hand under the ball. "But the umpire has made the decision. We'll move on."

The incident took place in the eighth over after India chose to bat in Sydney, off the first ball Kohli faced. He edged Scott Boland to second slip, where Smith dived low to his right and appeared to catch the ball close to the ground before scooping it up in the air towards gully, where Marnus Labuschagne completed the catch. The on-field umpires referred the catch to the TV umpire Joel Wilson, who eventually judged that the ball had touched the ground just before Smith scooped it into the air towards Labuschagne.

Speaking after the day's play, Australia debutant Beau Webster gave his verdict in Smith's favour.

"I had a good view, I thought it was clear as day from where I was as being out," he said. "Obviously when you slow it down, the replays and slow-mos, there probably is some grass which has touched that ball, it's probably just how much. Whenever you get a low catch there's always going to be an element of grass close to the ball, especially when you slow it down. We all thought it was out but, unfortunately, it did go our way.

"We are all pretty happy he [Kohli] didn't get a hundred after it, he only got a few more after that. It was a difficult one, it's always difficult for a third umpire when you have those replays and you have so much slow-mo technology these days, felt it was a bit inevitable in the end with how close that ball did get to the turf."

Speaking on Channel 7, former ICC umpire Simon Taufel said he could "certainly understand what the third umpire's done there".

"I think you described it very well when you said that depending upon which side of the fence you sit on you could probably build a case for either decision to be given," Taufel said. "Listening to Joel Wilson's language there, where he said the fingers were underneath the ball and then he's seen it roll on to the ground, by his own language he is telling us that he believes he's seeing that ball on the ground.

"So, there are two things that the TV umpire here is looking for. One is fingers underneath the ball. He was satisfied there. But then he believes through those pictures that he's clearly seen the ball on the ground. And here's the challenge, slowing it right down with slow-mo. Play it at real speed and it looks pretty good.

"I can certainly understand what the third umpire's done there. He believes he's seen the ball on the ground and called it way he's seen it. Normally the ICC protocol on fair catches is if you see the fingers underneath the ball, that's good to maintain a fair catch. But here's the problem: the on-field umpire's no longer have the soft signal and make the decision, it's purely in the hands of the television umpire now."

Having survived that close call first ball, Kohli ground out 17 off 69 deliveries, without finding the boundary, before edging Boland to debutant Beau Webster at third slip.

Later in the day the third umpire was again in focus when Washington Sundar was given caught down the leg side off Pat Cummins on review. After many replays, Wilson determined there was a spike on real-time snicko (RTS) and no gap between ball and glove, seemingly much to the displeasure of Washington who stood for a moment before walking very slow off the ground.

It followed the incident at the MCG where Yashasvi Jaiswal was given out, also pulling down the leg side, when RTS did not register anything but the third umpire saw a clear deflection off the glove.

"There is not much to say because technology is one part which as a cricketer, you can't control," Rishabh Pant said of the latest decision against Washington.

"But I feel whatever decision we make on the field, it has to stay with the on-field umpire. That's the only thing, unless it's so conclusive to change the decision, I think we should stay with the on-field umpire. The rest is umpire's decision, at the end of the day. I can't challenge that every day but technology can be a little better, I guess."