India moved within touching distance of victory in the Galle Test on Tuesday, making repeated breakthroughs in Sri Lanka’s batting order to leave themselves needing six more wickets on the final day to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.But the fourth day’s play was overshadowed by a contentious third-umpire decision involving wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, whose catch to dismiss Sri Lanka opener Lahiru Udara triggered debate among fans and commentators.The incident took place on the fourth ball of the 22nd over, with Manav Suthar bowling. Jurel completed the catch, but Udara immediately appeared unsure whether the ball had been taken cleanly. The matter was referred to third umpire Raveendra Wimalasiri, with replays showing the ball going into Jurel’s hands but leaving some doubt over whether his fingers were underneath it.Jurel had held the ball with his right hand and, as his momentum carried him forward, there appeared to be a possibility that the ball had made contact with the ground. Wimalasiri, however, was satisfied with the available evidence and ruled Udara out.Udara was visibly unhappy with the decision and appeared reluctant to leave the field. The Sri Lankan opener had made 16 off 58 balls before being forced to walk back to the pavilion.Former Sri Lanka batter Russel Arnold, who was part of the commentary team, was also not convinced that the catch was clean. He felt the ball had touched the ground and believed Udara should have remained at the crease.“It’s been pushed along the ground for a bit. The ball was pushed along the ground. You can see, it was pushed along. When you look at that slow-motion replay, it seems that the fingers were pushed back and the front of the ball was touching the ground,” Arnold said on air.“For me, the ball is on the ground there. The fingers are behind the ball,” he added.India had set Sri Lanka a target of 372 after being dismissed for 193 in their second innings. Rishabh Pant top-scored with 66 and also became the first Asian batter to cross 100 sixes in Test cricket.Sri Lanka struggled during their chase as India picked up four wickets before stumps. Suthar claimed two, while Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna took one each.The hosts finished the fourth day on 84/4 and still require 288 runs to pull off a remarkable victory. With rain forecast for the final day, India will have to negotiate the weather as they look to complete a 1-0 series lead in Galle.
