Unhappy with Paine's dismissal, Wade calls for consistent implementation of DRS
Melbourne: Unhappy with skipper Tim Paine's dismissal in the second innings of the ongoing Boxing Day Test against India here on Monday, Australia's makeshift opener Matthew Wade has called for consistent implementation of the Decision Review System (DRS).
Wade made the statement after Paine was given out, caught behind off Ravindra Jadeja on the third day. The wicketkeeper-batsman was ruled out after the on-field call by Paul Reiffel was overturned by third umpire Paul Wilson.
Paine 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.
"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.
"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," Wade said at the virtual post-day press conference.
"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."
Paine was given out purely based on a Snicko spike as there was no mark on Hot Spot, which is the correct protocol.
But Wade took objection to Pujara's case as then also there was no mark on 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.
Wade, meanwhile, blamed yet another poor show from the home team batsmen as Australia is struggling to save the second Test.
Leading the series 1-0, the home side slumped to 133 for 6 in their second innings to take a lead of two runs on day three with all-rounder Cameron Green (17 not out) and Pat Cummins (15 not out) at the crease.
"We've only got ourselves to blame a little bit there, but they've (India) been pretty much on the mark from the start," Wade, who top-scored for Australia with a defiant 137-ball 40, said.
Wade and Marnus Labuschagne (28 off 49 balls) were the only two Aussie batsmen so far to cross the 20-run mark as the Indian bowlers made merry before Green and Cummins put on a 34-run unbeaten stand for the seventh wicket.
"To be fair we haven't gone deep enough yet to really cash in on tired bowlers late in the day.
"Our intent's to go out and score obviously as a batting group and individually, but they're making it quite challenging at times," Wade said.
"Hard to get going, they're bowling pretty well, pretty straight, making it hard for us to score."
Wade has been performing the duties of an opener in the absence of an injured David Warner, who is out with a groin problem.
"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," he said.
"We've done the best we can possibly do and will continue to do the same things when we're asked for it."
Wade feels they still have a chance to go at the Indians if they extend their lead beyond the 100-run mark.
"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.
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Delhi Polls: BJP faces protest, placates MLA amid resentment over ticket distribution
New Delhi, Jan 12: Resentment surfaced in the BJP on Sunday over ticket distribution for Delhi Assembly polls, with a protest held outside its Delhi unit office and an angry outburst by the outgoing MLA from Karawal Nagar who was not included in the candidate list released a day earlier.
As MLA Mohan Singh Bisht threatened to revolt after being denied a ticket from Karawal Nagar, the party rushed to control the damage and announced his candidature from the Mustafabad seat this evening.
A group of protesters from Tughlakabad in South Delhi held a dharna at the gate of the Delhi BJP office, demanding a change in the candidate from the constituency.
"Vikram Bidhuri Tum Sangharsh Karo; Modi Se Bair Nahi, Rohtas Teri Khair Nahi," the protesters, including mostly youngsters, chanted as the party leaders tried to pacify them.
In the second list of BJP candidates for the polls declared on Saturday, Rohtas Bidhuri was fielded from the Tughlakabad seat. In 2020 Assembly polls, Vikram Bidhuri who is a relative of senior party leader Ramesh Bidhuri, lost to AAP's Sahiram by over 13,000 votes.
A similar protest was also held by some party workers outside the Delhi BJP office against Mehrauli candidate Gajainder Yadav after the announcement of the first list of candidates earlier this month.
Bisht, the senior-most BJP MLA in the outgoing Assembly elected five times from Karawal Nagar, openly expressed unhappiness over being denied the ticket to contest from his stronghold.
A senior party leader said he was pacified after a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda.
Bisht, after getting the ticket from Mustafabad, expressed confidence that he would win the seat for the BJP.
"I met the national president and things were ironed out. I have assured that I will contest from Mustafabad and win the seat for the party," Bisht told PTI.
The MLA said he and the BJP had considerable support in Mustafabad and he has already attended two public meetings there.
The BJP won the Mustafabad seat, having a significant minority community presence, in the 2015 Assembly polls but lost it to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2020.
Earlier in the day, Bisht told PTI that the party's decision to replace him with Kapil Mishra was "wrong" and its consequences will be visible after voting on February 5.
"You have challenged the 'samaj' (his Uttarakhandi community), not Mohan Singh Bisht. The BJP will lose at least 8-10 seats because of this decision, including Karawal Nagar, Burari, Mustafabad and Gokalpuri," Bisht warned.
The BJP fielded Kapil Mishra, a Hindutva hardliner, from Karwal Nagar in North East Delhi, which was rocked by massive communal violence just after the 2020 Assembly polls.
Sources in the party claimed that there was also "deep resentment" among the Delhi BJP's Scheduled Castes Morcha leaders over being denied tickets from different constituencies including Madipur and Kondli.
A top Delhi BJP functionary stressed that there are many ticket aspirants, so it is natural for those who did not get selected to feel disappointed.
"The BJP is a disciplined party and its leaders understand this. Sooner or later, everyone will realise this and work for the victory of the party giving up their resentment," he said.
The elections to 70 Assembly seats in Delhi are scheduled on February 5. Results will be out after the counting of votes on February 8.
The BJP, out of power in Delhi since 1998, is making all-out efforts to return to power. In the 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls, the party was completely routed by the AAP, scraping through with just three and eight seats, respectively.
