Dubai: The International Cricket Council’s plan to make the Decision Review System mandatory for all Tests and One Day Internationals has fallen flat with the all powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India scuppering it totally.
At board meetings being held in Kuala Lumpur, the ICC announced DRS was now foolproof with the technology enhancements provided by new hotspot cameras and the results of independent research conducted by Dr Ed Rosten, an expert in computer vision technology.
But the Indian cricket board refused to accept its use. India were the sole objector.
The rejection of DRS is yet another instance of India’s huge power in the game. As soon as ICC recommended DRS should be mandatory, BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said: “The BCCI continues to believe that the system is not foolproof.
“The Board also sticks to its view that the decision on whether or not to use the DRS for a particular series should be left to the Boards involved in that series.”
The BCCI’s stance on DRS stems from a 2008 series when India were on the receiving end of some controversial decisions during the technology’s trial phase. A number of reviews went against them, including star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, during a Test series in Sri Lanka.
India, who generate the major share of global cricket revenue due to their huge fan-base, scuppered the ICC’s initial bid to push for madatory DRS in 2011, meaning it could only be made optional.
Following several debatable and controversial decisions by the on-field umpires during the first Test in Galle between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, both called for the compulsory use of DRS.
Former England captain Tony Greig, during the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey address at Lord’s, hit out at India. He said: “Much of the game is controlled by the BCCI because it controls enough votes to block any proposal put forward at the ICC board meetings.”
Greig also said India were against DRS as their superstars were embarrassed in the early days.
He asked India to act in the spirit of cricket and accept the majority point of view.
