Nathan Lyon began the 13th over of the Indian second innings. The first ball went straight with the arm, a variation Cheteshwar Pujara had probably not accounted for as he leaned to defend. The ball beat the outside edge and lodged into Alex Carey’s big gloves.

Carey whipped the bails off and appealed for stumping, and the decision was referred to TV umpire Richard Kettleborough, who had to check for the legality of the delivery as well as for every other mode of dismissal barring leg-before.

Section 2.1.4 of Appendix D of the ICC Men’s Test Match Playing Conditions (Effective November 2022) states: “If the third umpire finds the batter is Out by another mode of dismissal (excluding LBW), or Not out by any mode of dismissal (excluding LBW), he/she shall notify the on-field umpire so that the correct decision is made.”

Before checking for stumped, Kettleborough thus had to check for caught-behind as well. There was no edge (Pujara’s feet were grounded as well) – but there could have been. In any case, Australia managed to get Kettleborough to check for caught-behind without risking losing a review.

What if the square leg umpire had not referred to the TV umpire? Australia would still have had the time to opt for the DRS if they wanted to.

Of course, this was not the first time Australia had attempted such a strategy. They had appealed for a stumping in both Nagpur and Delhi, as well as earlier in this Test match in Indore, managing the TV umpire to check for a caught-behind in the process.

Not everyone was happy with the Australians’ tactic.

The umpires have to find a way to see through the tactic of a keeper taking the bails off and asking for a stumping so that they get to check the edge without wasting a review

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) March 2, 2023

However, there is little the umpires can do but refer when there is the slightest chance of a batter being overbalanced as the wicketkeeper the bails.