Bengaluru: There’s something about the Decision Review System that doesn’t gel well with the Indian team. For a long while, the Indian cricket board at loggerheads with the system, steadfastly kept itself out of the purview of DRS, citing technical shortcomings. While the rest of the cricketing world absorbed it, our board stayed defiant shirking its use after 2008.
Until the England series in October. Agreeing to trial the DRS -satisfied with the system and with public backing from Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble — Team India have been using it since. Five Tests against England, the one-off against Bangladesh and now two and counting against the Aussies.
While it was a moderate success for Kohli & Co. during England tour’s here, the team has failed to grapple with it clearly in the two Tests at Pune and Bengaluru.
In Pune six of the seven reviews was unsuccessful and here six reviews inclusive of four they used up during bowling was met with the red beacon. Staggering failure. Or is just we’re trigger happy? Teeing off at the slightest an remotest of doubts?
While batsmen generally are unaccepting of an umpire’s decision, especially the lbws and bat-pad variety, it was shocking that the Indian team just went helter-skelter during Australia’s first innings.
Gunning for reviews against Shaun Marsh and Matthew Wade on the second day, with only R. Ashwin singularly gung-ho about his chances, the Indians lost the offering in haste.
In contrast, the Aussies, more circumspect and guarded in their requests, have turned out more successful.
If Marsh had his lbw against Umesh Yadav overturned the previous day, a confident Mitchell Starc on Day Three had a caught behind over-ruled as he sought the technological intervention.
The Indians, it appears, may need intervention of the divine sort. “We have been working on it. At times there were some close calls and we didn’t get it right. We will work on it more,” Cheteshwar Pujara had said after the second day’s play.
On the third day with their backs to the wall, Kohli may not be faulted for referring to the DRS on being rapped on the pads by Josh Hazlewood. A lengthy delay notwithstanding, the net result was the same: no luck with the review. The ball had hit the pads before any contact with the bat as Hazlewood pushed the Indians down the barrel.
