Gibbs backs Yadav 'catch' as correct call

Umesh Yadav's contentious catch on day one of India's first Test against England has drawn comparisons with Hershelle Gibbs' infamous drop in the 1999 World Cup but the former South Africa batsman believes the correct decision was made in Rajkot on Wednesday.

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Yadav claimed the catch after Joe Root, on 124, struck one firmly back at the India fast bowler, who at first appeared to hold onto the catch before losing control of a juggled celebratory throw.

The England batsman stood his ground but after a soft signal of 'out' given by on-field umpires, Root had to depart when the third umpire used the super slow-motion cameras and deemed Yadav to have controlled the catch for long enough.

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The incident drew comparisons with Gibbs' dropped catch off Steve Waugh in the '99 World Cup, where he appeared to pouch one off a skewed leg-side clip from the Australia captain before quickly losing control of the ball in his short-lived celebration.

Waugh went onto make a match-winning century in the Super Sixes match, propelling Australia into the semi-final where they again defeated the Proteas and went on the claim the trophy.

While Gibbs sees the similarities between the two incidents, he suggested Yadav rightfully claimed his catch and that the correct decision was made on both occasions.

"Mine happened quicker than Yadav's," Gibbs told Indian newspaper Mid-day.

"There's not much difference between Yadav's and my catch, but he held on to the ball slightly longer than I did.

"He actually had control of the ball and threw it in the air whereas I wanted to throw it up but dropped it.

"Mine eventuated in a not out, but Yadav's catch was valid. The umpires got it right both times."

Gibbs' verdict echoes Mike Atherton's stance on the issue, with the former England captain saying Yadav only lost control of the ball once he'd completed the catch.

"It looked to me like Yadav caught it but in the process of throwing the ball up he lost control of the ball," Atherton said on the host broadcaster's commentary.

"But he did have it in his hands, that's why the on-field umpires gave it out initially and why (umpire) Rob Tucker has decided to stay with that call."

But another ex-England skipper, Nasser Hussain, expressed his uncertainty over whether Yadav had held on long enough, questioning why he'd attempted to chase after his celebratory throw if he was confident he'd caught it.

"In real-time, that's what we live in, the law is you have to be in control of the ball and your body. That's the law to claim a catch. Was he in control, real-time, of that ball to claim a catch?

"If he was in control of it, why did he try to catch it again?"

Root, having benefitted from a close 'umpire's call' on review for an lbw appeal, wasn't losing any sleep over the matter however.

"I was so disgusted with the shot that — and I'm giving it the Arsene Wenger approach here — I didn't really see what was happening," he told reporters after play, referring to the Arsenal football club manager's famously myopic reputation.

"Having seen the slo-mo replay, it does look out. But when it's speeded up it looks a bit strange

"I was very lucky to get an umpire's call with an lbw earlier on, and you have to take the rough with the smooth sometimes and get on with it."