Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar said Monday his team was still coming to grips with cricket’s decision review system after players were accused of squandering their appeals during the ongoing Test against Australia.
India ended its long resistance to using DRS in November, becoming the last Test nation to embrace the technology, but the move has not been without hiccups.
Skipper Virat Kohli appealed against his dismissal in both innings of the second Test in Bangalore, decisions that were upheld by a third umpire who reviewed the replays via a TV monitor.
The wasted reviews came back to haunt India later in the match when they had no appeals left to potentially save other batsmen, particularly in the first innings when they scored a disappointing 189 all out.
“We are new to the decision review system and the rules have tweaked a bit. It is very much the umpire’s call which becomes really crucial,” Bangar told reporters at Bangalore’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
“We haven’t really sat down and evaluated it. It is new to us and we are learning with every game we playing with this system.”
Kohli’s review of his lbw against Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood in the second innings delivered much drama as the third umpire upheld the on-field call much to the star batsman’s disappointment.
The skipper and his coaches was certain the ball hit the bat first before rapping the pad.
“We all were bit surprised by the call,” Bangar said.
“Whether there was conclusive evidence to make that call, or there wasn’t, is something the match referee will look into and have a chat about.”
Hazlewood, who claimed three wickets in an intensely fought match so far, said the use of ‘hot spot’ technology — thermal imaging that is not used widely, including in India — can be crucial in such decisions.
“We use it in Australia and it can be the difference between not out and out,” said Hazlewood.
“After looking at the reviews (of Kohli’s dismissal), you could see the ball just touching the pad before the bat. So it had to stick with the on-field call.”
India only agreed to introduce DRS last year during the five-match England series, having long doubted its reliability.
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