Ben Stokes catch controversy earns him comical Ricky Ponting comparisons from Indian fans

The India vs England pink ball Test got underway on Wednesday, February 24 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. During Day 1 of the high-voltage match, a rather shocking incident took place which baffled the cricketing community and left fans seething. After bowling out England for a paltry 112, Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill had a daunting task to bat under lights and get off India to a good start.

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Netizens compare Ben Stokes catch claim to infamous 2008 Sydney Test incident

On the other hand, England needed to grab quick wickets to stay in the game and the visitors were offered a chance to break the partnership but failed to grab it. In the second over of India's innings, Stuart Broad's delivery was nicked by Shubman Gill which went flying to second slip where Ben Stokes was positioned. The ace all-rounder attempted to sneak in his fingers under the ball and claimed to have caught the ball. While the on-field umpire's soft signal was out, replays on the large screen forced the third umpire to declare not out as the ball had clearly hit the ground.

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The Ben Stokes catch decision did not go down well with the English players as Joe Root and Ben Stokes engaged in a fiery chat with the on-field umpire. The persistence of England players also enraged Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who was seen gesturing from the dressing room. In no time, the image of Joe Root gesturing to the umpire that Gill was out went viral. 

Netizens were unimpressed with Joe Root and Ben Stokes' false claims when it was apparent that the ball had hit the ground. Root's gesture signalling that Gill was out drew a lot of reactions from the cricketing community as fans compared the incident to the 2008 Sydney Test event.

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During the 2008 Sydney Test, Michael Clarke had controversially caught Sourav Ganguly at slips and it was clear that the ball had touched the ground. But umpire Mark Benson resorted to asking Ricky Ponting, who raised his finger to signal out. Subsequently, the Indian southpaw was adjudged out despite there being no evidence of a clean catch. Here's how fans reacted to the Ben Stokes catch incident.

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SOURCE: BCCI.TV