Another reason why India need to review DRS stance
On the final day of the one-off Test at Fatullah in June, Virat Kohli was asked about his opinion on the Decision Review System (DRS). It’s almost like a rite of passage for an Indian captain, being questioned about that dreaded, contentious review system that has divided the cricketing world ever since India chose to be diffident, almost dismissive, towards it.
“You have to sit and analyse and ask the bowlers what they feel about it. Ask the batters what they feel about that. We literally just came into this Test match with very less time on hand. So now that we have time, I am sure these discussions will take place,” Kohli had said. It wasn’t really a strong statement. But it was still revealing. It showed that India were finally agreeing to take a step forward towards at least ‘discussing’ DRS.
You wonder whether the thought went through Kohli’s head as he and his team stood standing with their hands on their hips with umpires Nigel Llong and Bruce Oxenford turning down their appeals, even if TV replays kept showing how wrong the Anglo-Australian duo were. It’s an issue that gets discussed every time India are on an away tour or you have a team visiting India. But if Kohli ever was looking for a trigger to get those discussions started, what transpired in the 10 minutes leading up to the lunch-break on Friday at the Galle cricket stadium. His bowlers certainly would be open for discussion.
Or you would think so anyway.
Dinesh Chandimal might have gone on to hit Sri Lanka out of an embarrassing situation — a comprehensive innings defeat at the hands of a young Indian outfit — and also ensure that the visitors were put to the sword. But he could well have been dismissed twice before he had even reached double-figures.
The first came when he attempted a sweep of R Ashwin. The ball bounced slightly more than what he expected, the ball catching a thin top-edge and lobbing to Cheteshwar Pujara at leg-gully. The appeal was loud and vociferous. But Oxenford turned it down. Kohli & Co though weren’t convinced and they stuck at it for close to a couple of minutes. A potential meeting with the match-referee didn’t seem to deter them. But to no avail.
Deja vu
In the next over, they were up again, as Lahiru Thirimanne edged an Amit Mishra leg-break on to his pads and was easily snapped by KL Rahul at silly-point. But Nigel Llong, who seemed in a big hurry to sent Kohli packing on Thursday as he missed a sweep and was hit on the pads with a big-turning Tharindu Kaushal off-break, kept his index-finger down. The appeal was vociferous again. It was a crazy period, almost reminiscent of the early 1990s when Indian spinners spun webs around opposition batsmen and the close-in fielders added to the drama. And the umpires of course were kept extremely busy. But the Thirimanne appeal wasn’t the last of the action.
Next over, Chandimal drove a full delivery from Mishra on to Rohit Sharma’s foot and the ball ricocheted straight into the bowler’s hands. Though the decision was referred to the third-umpire. Ranmore Martinisz ruled in favour of the batting team, after a spate of replays that showed that the ball hadn’t kissed the ground. As luck would have it, Chandimal and Thirimanne would turn the match around once they returned for the second session, leaving the Indians stuck in a quandary about the DRS conundrum. But till the time India refuse to change their rigid stance, they can have no complaints.
