Despite Sachin’s yes,BCCI says no to DRS

Despite Tendulkars U-turn on referrals,Indian board stays firm in its opposition to the technological aid

Even as the list of Indian cricketers favouring the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) continues to swell,the BCCI isnt convinced about the place of present-day technology in cricket. A day after a guarded Sachin Tendulkar said he wasnt against UDRS,BCCI officials pointed that,like Indian skipper MS Dhoni often did,the Indian board too wouldnt embrace the system unless it is full proof.

While BCCI secretary N Srinivasan didnt indulge in name calling (read interview),other board officials werent as diplomatic. Sachin Tendulkar can express his opinions but he does not decide what the board has to do. There are still several players,like Dhoni,who object to it and moreover,the board has a clear stance on the issue, said a senior board official. We need to speak to the players and get a feedback on whether their views have changed on the matter and if so ,why.

Tendulkar had insisted that he would support UDRS only if Snickometer and Hot Spot were part of the package. With both the high-tech umpiring aids available for next months England-India series,it effectively signalled the senior-most Indian cricketer didnt mind UDRS for next-months tour. That in turn meant Tendulkar wasnt on the same page as his board.

Story continues below this ad

The Indian board has been consistent with its stand since the 2008 India-Sri Lanka series. Playing away,India lost the Test series 2-1 as the Indian batsmen had no answer to the Sri Lankan spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis. The unconventional slow bowlers had a number of referrals going their way and the Indian batsmen didnt seem to be too pleased by the use of technology in Lankas favour. They were convinced that Hawkeye wrongly projected the ball-path during lbw decisions. After the tour,top Indian players met the BCCI officials and conveyed their grouse.

The players came to us and said they dont like UDRS,so please help us. So we supported them on the issue and pointed at the faultiness of the projections and trajectories of the delivery to the ICC. Now the players seem to have changed their mind,but the board cannot go back on their words,since nothing has changed technologically from then and now. The BCCI cannot go up and say,till yesterday we were against it,now we are fine with it. That would look silly. The board is in an uneasy situation, he said.

The BCCI thus is also hinting at the difference of opinion amongst Team India players. Dhoni has been vocally against the use of UDRS,especially Hawkeye,and BCCI insist that the decision of not opting for UDRS for the England tour had been taken in consultation with the captain. However,like Tendulkar,there are several other players in the team who are in favour of using the system.